What The Heart Wants
by Jo Dawn
Summary: Donatello gets a little over his head when he agrees to meet with someone he met online. Or is that a lot over his head? Or could it be exactly what he was looking for? Bad summary, my first. Please read anyway. Please read and review. Complete.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

A/N: This is purely for fun, and because of the fact that I couldn't get this story idea out of my head until I wrote it down. I posted it for others to (hopefully) enjoy. This is my first attempt at writing TMNT fanfic, and my first ever posting, so please, be kind. Constructive criticism only, please. Also, please don't post this anywhere else without asking. And no MiSTs, please. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, and met with great glee. 

I also never read the comic, since it is not distributed anywhere near me, so this doesn't take place at any certain point in there. 

Oh, and by the way, _italics_ are thoughts, and *_this_* is typing or a letter. 

Well, here we go. And enjoy!!!!

Chapter One: Unexpected Circumstances 

Donatello sat down at his computer desk and cracked his fingers, leaning back in his chair. He loved the internet. He could get lost for hours looking up and discussing certain theories and ideas. As he typed in his password and it began dialing up, he thought about the last time he'd had a good debate with someone on a subject other than what kind of pizza they'd get for supper that night. He loved his brothers, but sometimes he yearned to talk with someone who had the same interests as him. 

*You've got mail.* The familiar voice made Donatello smile. He loved getting mail. Especially from a certain person whom he'd met in a chat room. 

"Junk…. Ads… Junk… More junk…" He sifted through the mail until he came to what he'd been looking for. "Ah." He smiled and sat back. He clicked on the email. 

*_OK, Don. I've thought about it and I think that meeting you would be great! OK, if you'll just tell me where and when, I'll be there._

Liv*

Donatello smiled, but still felt that old sense of nervousness. He'd met Liv online months ago in a chatroom and they had just hit it off right away. Soon they were talking everyday and they had enjoyed each other's company immensely. At least, Don did. Liv was happy and funny and outgoing and everything that Donatello wasn't. He never thought of himself as being as confident as Leonardo, as outgoing as Raphael or as funny as Michaelangelo. With Liv he found that he could be more like that when he was talking with her. He felt… freer, somehow. They had only discussed meeting once, after they found that they both lived in New York, and it was his idea. A stupid one, maybe, but he'd decided to go for it. He really wanted to see her in person. And now she apparently agreed. He typed in a date, time and place and sent it. Then he signed offline and sighed, thinking about meeting her and what she might say when she saw him. He'd told her that he was… different, but you never know how people are going to react. He'd never seen a picture of her, either, but she had described herself to him. He sighed again and then stood, walking to the other room to see if any lunch had been left for him.

The sounds of Michaelangelo fighting Raphael for control of the remote greeted him when he walked into the other room. Leonardo sat at the table, reading a book. Or trying to, at least.

"Mikey. Raph. Can you tone it down, please?" Leo asked through gritted teeth. Obviously the fight had been going on for awhile. Donatello wondered how long, exactly. He seemed to lose himself on the computer and often found himself out of the loop when he came back into the real world. 

He grabbed a plate of cold pizza and a drink and then sat down at the table. "You guys." He sighed. "I just fixed that remote. Mikey, it's Friday, your show's not on for…." He looked at the clock. "Another two hours. Raph can watch his movie until then." Mike and Raph looked at each other, discussing this through their eyes. 

Soon, with a sigh, Michaelangelo handed the remote over to Raphael. Leonardo looked over at Donatello with a look on his face which clearly said: "How did you do that?" Donatello simply shrugged and then continued eating his food. 

*****************

The next day, an email was in Donatello's mailbox that read, simply: *_Great, I'll be there.*_

But there were no more emails after that. Donatello was becoming concerned. They'd emailed each other at least once a day for months. That didn't include IM's and chat rooms and the such. But four days later, Donatello headed out for their meeting spot, after giving his brothers an excuse about going to the dump to look for more supplies. He couldn't believe himself, but he felt nervous. As he approached the alley where they had agreed to meet, he tightened his trench coat around him. He looked up again and saw a movement in the shadows. 

"Liv?" He called, picking up speed. He looked, crossed the street and then came into the alleyway. He stopped. There was no one there. "Liv?" He called out again, suddenly uncertain about this whole thing now. What if it was a trick? What if this was someone that he wouldn't really want to meet? 

He took a few steps into the alley, and then took a few more. She didn't come. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. Did he really think that she'd come? _Yes. _The little voice in his head said. He turned around, kicking a pebble into the shadows beside the trash cans. It hit something and as he walked forward, he heard a noise. He stopped, concentrating on the sound. And then he heard it again. A small mewing cry was coming from the shadows. He inched forward, not making a sound, until his foot hit a can and kicked it. 

Shoot. He thought. _There goes the element of surprise. _The same small, mewing cry came from the shadows. _A cat._ He thought to himself. _It's got to be a cat. _

He leaned towards the sound, and then moved the trash cans from out of the way. He stumbled back a few steps, totally unprepared for what lay before him. 

A tiny baby in a carrier was laying there. He leaned forward again, noticing a paper inside the carrier. Against his better judgment, he picked it up, and, reading the words, gasped. 

*Don, I need you to take care of her for awhile. Something's come up. Liv.* 

Donatello looked down from the note to the tiny baby that lay before him. _What have I gotten myself into now?_


	2. Chapter 2 Coming Home

A/N: Yes, I know, I suck at naming things. Forgive the chapter names. Please. And my writing will get better, I promise. I just always get stuck getting up to the really interesting parts that I can't wait to write. 

Oh well… It's all fun anyway, right? 

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT. I do own Liv and the baby, though, and that'll mean more as the story progresses. 

Chapter Two: Coming Home

Donatello grabbed the carrier, and the baby mewed in protest after being jostled from her comfortable position. He headed back to the lair. _What am I going to do?_ That thought ran through his head all the way back to the lair. 

When he arrived, he peeked his head in, sighing in relief when he saw no one. _Like no one's going to notice a baby._ He thought wryly. _Not even Mikey's that distracted._

"Hey, Donnie." Raphael called from the other room. 

Donatello stopped, frozen mid- step. 

"Donnie." The indistinguishable sound of the chair squeaking signaled to Donatello that Raphael was coming into the room that he was in. But he was frozen, unable to move. 

"Don, where've you been…." Raphael entered the room. He looked at Donatello, and then at the carrier in his hand. 

"What the…"

"Raph." Donatello got out. "Raph, please, listen. This isn't what you think." He gasped. 

"What is this?" Raphael looked at the carrier, and then back at Donatello. "Did you find this at the…"

Donatello opened his mouth to say no, but right then, Michaelangelo walked in. 

"Did Donnie find something cool this time to spruce up the house?"

"Oh, it's somethin'." Raphael muttered under his breath. Donatello looked at him with a pleading look in his eyes. 

"Dude." Michaelangelo said, finally looking at the carrier. "What've you got in there?"

The baby chose that moment to squawk out in protest at all the movement and noise. 

"Is that…" Mike looked up at Donatello. "Is that a cat?" 

"No, Mikey," Don started out. "It's…" He stopped. "Well, it's a… a…" He couldn't seem to say the words. He took a deep breath to clear his mind. "It's a baby." 

"A baby?" Mike moved forward. "Oh, lemmee see." He peeked into the covers of the carrier, then stepped back. "Oh, wow." He breathed. "I've never seen one that small before. Or that close up." He leaned down again, sniffed and made a face. "Or that stinky. Dude, you need to… do something here." 

"I…. I don't have any diapers or anything. I didn't expect…"

"Well, we'll have to get some." Mike said, and then leaned back down to look at the baby. He looked up again at Don. "I think you can set it down, bro." 

"Oh, yes, o- of course." Donatello said, still dazed from the turn of events. He set the carrier down, the baby mewing once from the small jostle, and Mike leaned over the carrier, making baby noises and faces at the child inside. Donatello put a hand to his head, trying to think. This was not going as planned. 

Don looked at Raphael, who had been watching Mike. "What am I going to do?" He asked, and then stopped short, turning to look at the doorway, where Leonardo had just started walking into the room.

"What is going on here?" Leonardo said, looking, for his part, at least momentarily surprised at the scene before him. 

"Leo…" 

"What is this?" Leonardo stepped all the way into the room and looked around. He spotted Mikey. 

"Michaelangelo." He walked up to him. "You're supposed to be…" His voice trailed off as he saw the contents of the carrier. He looked back up at the three of them. "Who…" He shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "Mikey…" He looked to Michaelangelo for an explanation. 

"It's not Mikey." Donatello walked forward, looking at first down and then at Leonardo. 

"It's… it's Liv's."

"Liv." Leonardo thought for a minute, and then looked back up at Donatello. "That girl that you talk to online? That Liv?"

"Do I know any other Liv?" Don joked feebly. 

"Don… What are you doing with a baby? With Liv's baby?"

"I'm, uh, watching her for awhile." Donatello looked away from his brother. He could always tell when he was lying. 

"How long?" Leo asked, crossing his arms. 

"A… few days… maybe?" Donatello said.

"Maybe?" 

"Well, yeah. A few days, I think. It all happened so fast. And the baby was there, and she wasn't, and I couldn't say no…" Donatello finally stuttered out. He was a horrible liar. "She just kind of… dropped her off. I think something's wrong…" _Well, technically, it's the truth… _

Leonardo sighed, looking from Don to the baby and back, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "A few days…" He repeated. 

"Leo, if I don't hear from her in a few days, I'll take her to the police."

"OK, well… that's a good idea. Although, this is going to seriously interfere with our…" He stopped, cocking his head, listening for something. "I thought that I heard… is someone out there?" He tensed, getting ready for an intruder. 

"Oh, yeah, probably April." Mike stood up, walking over to them. Raphael joined them, as if he didn't want to be left alone with the baby. "I called her." Michaelangelo continued. "I figured we could use her help with getting some stuff." They all turned as the door to the lair opened. 

"OK guys," April walked into the lair, brushing a hand through her hair. "This had better be good. I'm missing my favorite…show." She trailed off as she saw the bundle on the floor. She looked up at the four turtles. Leonardo stood, arms crossed, face indifferent as he looked at her. Raphael had his arms crossed, also, but he stood, looking agitated. Michaelangelo looked mischievous as always, and Donatello looked… guilty? 

"OK, what's going on?" She asked. The blankets on the floor moved. "Is that really a baby?"

They nodded. 

"A real baby?"

Another nod. 

"Who… what…" She stopped, taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "OK," She began slowly. 

"Who's baby is this?" 

Raphael grunted. "Ask Donatello."

April turned towards Don. "Don? What's going on?" 

Donatello sighed. "It's a long story."

"Try." April crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. At that moment, Don was struck by how much she could look like Leonardo. 

As Donatello told her what had happened, (at least, the story that he had given the others) April's face had softened. 

"That's a good idea," she nodded. "taking her to the police."

"I just want to wait for a few days. I think that something's wrong." Don explained. 

"Yeah." She nodded. "You're right. Something definitely doesn't sound right." She shook her head. "My God, I just can't believe… who would just leave their baby with a complete stranger."

Donatello looked down at the ground miserably. 

"Not that you're untrustworthy, Don, it's just…" She said, looking at the turtle's downcast expression. "It's just weird, that's all. Anyway," April continued. "Look, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take her to a friend of mine, a doctor. He owes me one."

Don opened his mouth to protest. 

"Completely off the record." April interrupted, looking at Don. "I'll just tell him that she's on her way to a foster home. Just to get her checked up." She stopped, swallowing. "Don, this baby can't be more than a week old, if that. She needs a checkup." She ran a hand through her hair. "But first, I'm going to go up to my place and see if any of my neighbors have anything that we can use. I think the lady down the hall just had a baby not all that long ago, so she might have some stuff." She stopped again, looking around and sighed. "OK, you guys, do you have any blankets? You need some blankets. And some pots and pans."

"OK, we can do that." Mike said, nodding. "We have those." 

"Good." April nodded then, too. "OK, let me head up to my place and I'll be back in a jiffy." She turned to leave, but before she made it out of the lair, Michaelangelo called out to her. 

"Yeah?" She poked her head back into the lair.

"Um, is it OK if we, uh, if we hold her?" He asked. 

Her irritation melted at his question. "Well of course you can. She can't just stay on the ground the whole time." She smiled. "OK, just pick her up, gently… gently," She guided Mike through the process. "And remember, always remember to support her neck. Babies' neck muscles are weak, so they can't support their heads yet. If it would snap back, it could kill her." All four of them looked at her. Michaelangelo had tensed, holding the baby stiffly now. "Babies are pretty tough." She said, noticing the apprehension in them now. "She's not going to break. Just remember," she reminded them gently, leaving the room, "support her neck. Hang tight, guys. I'll be back soon." And with that, April left the lair, leaving the four turtles alone with the baby, who was becoming comfortable in her new place in Mike's arms. 

"She likes me." Michaelangelo said happily, looking down at the baby. 

"Well there's a new one." Raphael grumbled from his place, leaning against the wall. "Mikey picked up a girl. And she likes him." 

"Ha ha, Raph." Mike replied, but his eyes remained on the baby in his arms. It was fascinating, more fascinating than anything that he had ever seen before in his life. 

"Hey." Michaelangelo was broken out of his thoughts by his brother, who walked up to him, looking apprehensive. 

"Can I hold her?" Donatello was looking at him. "Since I found her and all." 

'Found her?' Leo mouthed to Raphael, who shrugged. Michaelangelo, oblivious to all of this, smiled at Don. 

"Of course, dude. You just had to ask." He handed the baby to Donatello gently. 

Donatello breathed out as the baby settled into his arms. This wasn't as hard as he thought that it would be. He looked down at the baby's face, feeling something go through him that he'd never felt before.

__

I must protect this child. The thought passed through his head so quickly, so naturally, that it surprised him. He looked down at her and she opened her eyes, looking at him with crystal blue eyes that pierced right through his. He could hold her forever, he realized. She was a miracle, not much unlike he and his brothers. Where they ever this small? He wondered. He realized then that every living thing was special… a gift, whether they were born like her or mutants like them. He looked up at the rest of them. 

"Do you want to…?" He asked, motioning his head towards the baby. He'd been holding her for awhile, longer than he'd meant to. But time seemed to… stand still when he was staring into her eyes. 

"Not me." Raphael said, still staying in the far corner, away from the rest of them.

"OK, I'll try it." Leonardo walked forward, taking the child as carefully as you would glass or eggshells. 

Leo smiled, then, also. "She is awful cute." 

"Better be careful, Leo. Someone might think you approve of this if you keep acting like this." Michaelangelo smirked. 

"I never said…" But his protest was cut short as April reappeared in the lair, her arms laden with bags and parcels. Some rattling noises came from a bag as she attempted to set everything down without making too much of a mess. Mike and Don leaned down to help her get everything settled. 

"OK, guys, I've got some really helpful stuff here." She began rifling through the bags. "Diapers, clothes, food, you name it." She stood, blowing her hair out of her eyes, and wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "My one neighbor has grandkids. So she gave a lot of this stuff for us to use. Unless her daughter has anymore kids. Then we have to give it back. And the rest of it came from Annie, down the hall and a few others. Really good stuff, too. Books, toys, you name it. I had to buy the diapers, though. Not many people have a lot of extras of those on hand." She smiled, obviously pleased with herself. 

"Thank you so much, April." Donatello said, smiling at her gratefully. Mike and Leo nodded. "Yeah, we really appreciate it." Mike said, grinning also. 

April looked at them, and then stopped on Leo, grinning. "Aww, Leo. You look so cute." She cocked her head. "You know, I knew that this would come in handy." With that, she brought out a camera, snapping his picture. 

"April." Leo said, blushing beneath his green skin. 

"Oh, come on." April smiled. "You know that I'm taking some photography classes down at the college. Think of this as some practice." 

Leo opened his mouth to protest, but April cut him off with a wave of her hand. "No one else will see them. It's only practice like I said." 

She turned back to Don and Mike, who was now looking through some of the bags with interest. "OK, Don, I'm going to take her up to my friend's now, all right? I'll be back soon." With that, April got the baby from Leo's arms, placing her into the carrier. "See you guys soon." She left again, this time the silence in the room deafening, as everything that had just happened sunk in for the first time that evening. 

"Well," Mike said, leaning over to look in the bags that April had brought from his place where he sat on the floor, cross- legged. "Let's see what April brought us." 

They looked through everything, and it seemed like only a short while before April returned with the baby. She walked into the lair slowly, cradling the baby in her arms. 

"Hey guys." She whispered, smiling wearily.

"April." Don stood up, walking over to her, but stopped when he saw that the baby was sleeping. "What did the doctor say?" He whispered. 

"Well…" She began, but the baby started squirming, and then began to cry. April laid her down onto a blanket on the floor and then began to unbutton the baby's small outfit. "She needs a diaper change. Come here, you guys." They all gathered around her, even Raphael. "Look." She said, then sighed. "That's her umbilical cord. It'll fall out and become her belly button."

"Whoa." Michaelangelo breathed, then looked down at his own plastron. 

"Don," April turned to look at him, a sad look in her eyes. "Doctor Wagner said that this child…" She 

shook her head. "This baby's only two days old. If that." 

Don took a step back, moving a hand to his plastron. "T- two days old?" He repeated, the voice leaving his mouth weak. 

"Oh my God." Leonardo said quietly from where he stood. Raphael rubbed a hand over his head. Michaelangelo looked down at the baby, cocking his head. "Well, no wonder she's so tiny." He said. 

"Well, what does that mean?" Donatello asked, trying to keep his voice merely interested, and not as panicked as he really felt. 

"Well, that means that she needs a lot of attention, food, diaper changes… all that. She's healthy, though. 

That's good, because her being out in the city like this, with her being so young… Well, she's healthy." She shook her head. "You guys have a lot on your hands right now. Are you sure you can handle it?" 

"Of course we can." Mike said. "Right guys?" He looked to his brothers for confirmation. Leo was staring thoughtfully at the baby. "I think we can do this. It's only a few days, after all." 

Raphael looked at them, turning his gaze away from the baby. "I ain't changing no diapers." He said simply, then looked back down. 

Mike looked to Don, who was looking off to the side with a faraway look to his eye. "Don?" Mike said. 

"Whaddaya say? Can we do this, or what?"

"What?" Don seemed to snap back into it and looked at the rest of them, who were now looking at him. "Oh, oh, of course. Yes." He said, looking distant again. 

"April," Mike started, trying to get Don before he went back into 'scientific dream world', as he liked to call it, and they had to snap him out of it again. "Show us how to change her diaper."

"Yeah." Donatello said, his eyes becoming brighter again. He leaned down in interest. 

"OK, guys." April then leaned down also. "By the end of these few days, you guys'll be experts at diaper changing. And probably will never want to do it again." She looked up at all of them. "Ready? OK, then, here we go. Diaper demonstration number one…" 

*****************

When they got through that with only a few minor incidents, April walked up to Leonardo, who stood, watching the others look through more of the things that April had brought, and setting a few things up around the lair. 

"Leo." She started, then stopped. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" 

"Yeah, April, what's up?" He asked her, his face concerned. 

"I. Uh…" she whispered, looking back at the others, who were oblivious to their conversation. "Doctor… Doctor Wagner said that the baby… the umbilical cord was…" She took in a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "The umbilical cord was cut with something crude. That baby wasn't born in a hospital." 


	3. Chapter 3 Understanding

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own the TMNT. Not that I ever will… but I can play, can't I? Oh well. I do own Liv and the baby. And that's good enough for me. 

A/N - OK, I generally just don't like some parts of this chapter. I'm sorry. I had a hard time with certain parts of it. Please keep reading, though, it will get better (I hope). Then again, I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'm never happy. I'll try my best, and that's all one can ask for, am I right? 

Thanks to all those who have sent me some wonderful and encouraging reviews. I just hope I don't disappoint. Thanks again! 

By the way, if you do review, I will try to email you back. Try being the operative word. Sometimes I'm terrible at things like that. But my gratitude goes out to you all anyway, and I love every bit of it. Thank you in advance.

Chapter 3 - Understanding

The wail of a baby woke Donatello, and he rose, going into the kitchen to heat a bottle. He groaned as he sat down at the table. In the last two days he'd gotten about six hours of sleep. He put his head down on the table. No word from Liv yet, either. He stayed there for a minute more, then got up to check on the bottle. He tested it, then went to feed the baby. 

When he returned to the kitchen to put the bottle in the sink, he didn't even notice someone else sitting at the table. Only when he turned from the sink did he notice a blur of green, facing toward him. He rubbed his eyes and then blinked them a few times, clearing up his vision to see who was watching him.

"Hey." He said, quietly, sitting down at the table "The baby wake you up, Leo?"

"No." Leo said, looking down at his hands, which were folded on the table. "I couldn't sleep." 

"Oh." was all that Don said, then they sat for a few minutes in silence. Donatello had almost nodded off right at the table when Leo spoke again. 

"It's been a few days, Don."

"I know." Donatello ran a hand over his head, sighing, frustrated. 

"Um, April told me something about the baby that I think you should know." Leo stopped, wondering exactly how to put this. He'd kept his mouth shut for the past two days, but now he felt that his brother had a right to know exactly what was going on. 

"What?" Don sat up, wide awake now. 

"The baby, she… she wasn't born in a hospital." 

"What?!" Donatello couldn't believe his ears. 

"They… he thinks that it was probably a home birth. Just the mom and no doctor. That child is lucky she's alive."

"But then why…?" Don started, trailing off as this thought sank in. 

"I don't know." Leo said, shaking his head. He felt bad for his brother. This was obviously a situation where he'd gotten himself in over his head. Over all their heads, probably. Donnie just wanted to do the right thing. Leo sighed. _But sometimes the right thing is the hardest to do._ He thought to himself. 

"Oh no." Don said finally. "I… I can't believe it, I… that poor baby."

"I know." Leo said, nodding. 

Don sat there for a few more minutes, lost in thought. "OK, Leo, it's been a few days. I gave it a few days. Just give me one more." He said finally, his voice growing softer. 

"OK." Leo said, softly. 

Donatello moved to stand, then looked back at Leonardo. "But it was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?" He said sadly, then left without an answer. 

"Yeah." Leo said softly, after Don had left the room. 

******************

The next day was filled with the now almost normal blend of diapers, bottles and clothes changes. 

During a rare moment when the baby was taking her nap, Donatello sat down at his computer. He signed online for the first time that day, not hoping to find anything useful. Before, he used to be excited at the thought, at the anticipation, but now it was… now it was different. He heard the usual greeting telling him of his mail, but he just skipped through it, seeing nothing interesting. Nothing that he wanted to see. Suddenly, a noise sounded telling him that someone had just signed online. He bleakly looked over at his buddy list when his gaze hit a very familiar name. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Liv had just signed online. 

Donatello clicked on the name, typing furiously. _*Liv? Liv where are you? Where have you been?*_

There was a prolonged pause as Donatello held his breath, waiting for an answer. Finally a message came onto the screen with an identifying beep. 

*Sorry, not Liv.*

He typed back, his fingers flying over the keyboard. _*What? What do mean not Liv? Who are you?*_

*Who are you?* Was the typed response. 

*I'm Liv's friend. Where is she?* 

Another prolonged pause. _*She's not here anymore. She's gone.* _

Donatello sat back in his chair, shocked. It couldn't be…

*_What do you mean? How? Why?* _ He typed back, his heart sinking. 

*_The why is why I'm here. I used to be her roommate about a year ago. I thought maybe I could find someone on here who could help me find out why. See if anyone knew why she'd kill herself.* _

Don's mouth dropped open. No, oh God, no… _*What do you mean, killed herself? Are you serious?*_

*Of course I'm serious. And I mean she… you know…* 

*What about her baby?*

The response that came back made Donatello gasp in shock. _*What baby? Liv was never pregnant.* _

Don typed again, his hands shaking now so hard that he could barely type. _*Oh, I just thought that she was. Never mind. My mistake.*_

The next message took a little longer to send. _*I guess she just couldn't take it anymore. She was all alone, you know. And her boyfriend killed himself just about two months ago. I remember reading it in the newspaper.* _

Don typed again, trying to calm his mind down enough to think straight. _*So there's no one else? No other family?*_

*No. No one. Look, I've got to go. Sorry that you had to find out this way.* 

*Thank you for letting me know.* Donatello typed in, quickly. Trying to remain calm. Trying. _*I'm sorry about your friend.*_

*And I, yours. You know, it was a bit of a surprise. She seemed so much happier these last few months when we spoke on the phone. I thought maybe she was over him. I guess I thought wrong.* Then another sound signaled that the person had signed offline. 

With that, Donatello's last hopes of getting the baby back to her mother vanished. His heart sank. She was gone. He grieved for the baby in the other room that would never know her mother. For his friend. He sat there at the computer, trying to decide what to do. For the first time in his life, he couldn't think. Couldn't reason. He hated that feeling. Feeling so… helpless. 

When he did finally emerge from his room and walked into the kitchen it was nearly suppertime. 

"Hey." Michaelangelo said, grabbing Don's arm as he walked by. "Where were you, man? The baby cried for her food, but no one was there. It was your turn, you know. I fed her for you, though." His anger melted at the look on Donatello's face. "Hey, you OK, bro?" He said softly. "Donnie?" 

"Where's Leo?" Don choked out, then went toward the training room without waiting for an answer. He knew he'd be in there. He always was. 

Leonardo was in there, like Donatello thought. He was practicing his katanas. He stopped suddenly when he saw Donatello run in. 

"Don?" Leo dropped his blades and walked toward his brother, who stopped in the middle of the mat. "Don, what's wrong? Don. Donnie." He shook him gently, trying to get him to snap out of it. 

"She… she's gone." Don mumbled finally.

"What? Who? Who's gone, Donnie? Who?" Leo was beyond concerned now. Donatello, aside from when he got lost in scientific thought, was always the one (besides him, of course) to stay focused and calm. This was a new one, and Leo didn't like it one bit. 

"Don…" Leo began again when Don looked up at him. 

"Liv." Don said weakly, and then sunk to the mat, Leo's arm around him in an attempt to slow his fall. 

"Don." Leo was down on his knees in front of Don, looking him in the eye. "Donnie what about Liv? Did you hear from her? What do you mean she's gone?" Donatello looked down at the ground. 

When Don looked back up at Leo, his eyes were filled with tears. "Liv's dead. She killed herself." Then he buried his head in his hands. 

Leo sat, in shock over this news. "A… are you sure?" He finally said. 

Donatello nodded from his position with his head in his hands. "Yeah, I… I checked it out." He looked back up at Leonardo. "It was in the paper and everything." He said softly. "Look." he held up a few papers. "Parents died two years ago, along with a brother and a sister." 

Leo grabbed the papers, reading it over again. 

"No one knew anything about a baby." Don said, looking away from Leo, at the wall. Leonardo looked at his brother, who wouldn't meet his gaze. "I talked to one of her friends online. She has no other family. There are no records of this baby. Technically, this baby doesn't even exist." 

Leo sat back. He didn't know what to say. 

"What am I going to do?" Don looked at Leo. Leo ran a hand over his head and then shrugged. 

"What do you think you should do?" 

"I… I guess I should…. I think it's time to call April." Don's shoulders slumped, dejectedly. 

"Don…" Leo put an arm on his shoulder. "It's for the best." He said, softly. 

Don shrugged it off, suddenly feeling angry, and turned to look at his brother. "Best for whom, exactly? For you? For Raph? For Master Splinter's dream for us?" He hadn't meant to say it, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. He braced himself for the fallout. 

"Don't you bring him into this!" Leo stood up straighter then, the mention of his beloved master's name being spoken about like that angering him. 

"I'm sorry, Leo." He shrugged slightly. "I… I just… I just want to hear your opinion of what I should do. Not the ninja way. Not what Master Splinter would have done. Your opinion, Leo, please." 

Leo looked away. "I… I've always told you my opinion. We were trained…"

"Leo!" Don cried, making his brother look to him in shock. He'd done it again: gone into 'leader mode', leaving 'big brother mode' behind. "Look," Don shook his head, signaling that the conversation was over. "I'll call April. I'll talk to you later."

Leo simply nodded. 

***************

Leonardo absently stirred his drink as he sat, chin resting on his hand at the table in the kitchen. He didn't look over as Donatello sat down silently next to him. 

"Hey." Don said softly. 

"Hey."

"Look, I… I'm sorry, Leo." Don moved closer to him. "I just… I miss him, too, Leo. Honestly I do. We all do. You know that. And it was his choice, you know? He avenged his master, and that's what he wanted. That's what he waited his whole life for…" Don stopped, getting off track. "Leo, we were raised by him. We know his opinions on stuff. I know what he'd say. I just wanted to hear yours." 

Leo's jaw tensed as Don talked. Their master, their beloved sensei, had been gone for over a year, and he still couldn't listen to them talk about him. Mike and Don did, from time to time. Raph had yet to mention him. He'd taken it almost as hard as Leo had. They'd all taken it hard but, Leo…

Leo closed his eyes. It all rushed back to him as Don's words echoed through his head. 'His choice…. His choice.' 

In their last battle with Shredder, Splinter had sacrificed himself to avenge his own slain master. The end result was the destruction of both he and Shredder. He'd left them alone… 

Leo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Don, I… I think that you need to decide this one yourself." 

"I…" Don began but was cut off when they both heard April enter the lair. 

"Hey guys?" she called, then walked up to Leo and Don when she saw them. "Hey." she began, looking at Donatello. "Don, I… I came as soon as I could. Are you sure…"

"I'll get Mike and Raph." He cut her off, rising from his chair and walking from the room. 

April watched him leave, then turned to Leo. "Leo?"

He looked away from her, his jaw still clenched. "I still miss him, April." He said softly. 

"Oh, I know you do." She sat down in the chair next to him, and rubbed his arm comfortingly. "I do too. You all do, I know. He was your father."

"He was more than that." Leo said briskly. 

She smiled sadly. "I know."

"I just…" Leo looked down, not sure he wanted to say this, not sure he wanted to admit it… "Maybe… Mike and Don are stronger than I am. They talk about him, like he's gone on vacation. Like this is what he wanted… what he deserved. And I, I can't bring myself to…" Leo broke off bitterly. 

"Mike and Don deal with things their way, and you have yours." She said softly, then grinned wryly. "And Raph has his. You're all different, you all deal differently. Everybody takes different time to… adjust to things. But it will get better. It will." She stood, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "I promise. And you are strong, Leo. You guys are stronger than anyone I've ever met before, ever. Remember that." 

"I will." Leo's voice came out in a whisper. He grabbed April's hand, squeezing it. "And thank you." He said gratefully. 

"Let's go see what's what, huh?" She motioned towards the living room area of the lair, where Donatello had disappeared to. He nodded, still not trusting his voice and followed her into the other room. 

Donatello was sitting on the couch, holding the baby. Michaelangelo sat next to him, tickling the baby's chin and letting her suck on his finger. Raphael was perched on the back of the couch, and he looked down at the baby for a moment before looking to Leo and April. 

"So, what's up, April?" He said. "What brings you down here?" 

"Donnie called me." She said, and then looked at Don. He looked slowly from the baby to her. She felt her heart break at the look upon his face. He'd tried so hard. 

The room was silent for a few minutes before Donatello cleared his throat softly. 

"I, uh, I tried." He began quietly. "I waited a few days, and now… Now there's no chance of her ever coming back for her. So here." He stood quickly, shoving the baby in April's arms so fast she didn't even have time to think. Like the quicker he got rid of the baby, the easier it would be. _Too bad that wouldn't work. _April thought sadly, looking down at the baby in her arms to the faces before her. They all looked away from her, from the baby, and from each other. 

"Are… are you sure this is what you…" She began.

"Yes!" Donatello hissed, making her turn to look at him in surprise. He'd never spoken like that to her before. But his face wasn't angry. In fact, it was the exact opposite. 

"OK." She said slowly. "I'll take her down to social services, tell them I'd found her." 

"Good." Don said, his voice betraying the hard exterior he'd put up when it threatened to break. 

Mike looked downright heartbroken. 

"OK." April turned back to the stairs. "I'll see you guys after… in a bit. I'll be back to get the rest of this stuff then." She turned and began walking to the stairs. She could hear Mike sniffling and the low voice of Raphael. She'd reached the second step when she heard a noise that made her stop in her tracks. 

"April." Don croaked out. "Wait." He ran back up to her. "I'm sorry." He said softly looking back up to her. "I'm sorry." He said again, louder now, as he looked back over to his brothers. "I… I can't, I…" He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at her. "I can't let you take her." He said. "I want to keep her." 

Raphael let out a breath. Michaelangelo looked up, hope mixed with the tears, gleaming in his eyes. 

"I have to." Don said. "I just have to. I love her." He turned to Leo. "I know I said about making my own decisions…"

Leo shook his head. "You made your decision a long time ago." He said softly. "The moment you saw her…"

Donatello nodded. 

"I did." He said. "And I want her, no matter what. If you guys don't want this, then I can move out, and not disturb you…" His words ran into each other in his nervousness. 

"Oh, jeez, will ya shut up?" Raphael rolled his eyes. "No one's movin' out. Now will you just bring her back over here and get her settled down?" 

Don walked back over to the rest of them, smiling broadly. 

Michaelangelo let out a whoop of joy, which startled the baby. 

"Sorry." He ducked his head, looking sheepish. 

April watched this for a moment, debating on whether or not to comment. "Are you guys absolutely…" 

She stopped when Donatello looked back at her. The look in his eyes told her everything. "Well, good for you." She whispered, more to herself than to them. She watched them start to set things back up and sighed, leaning against the wall for a moment. _I hope this goes smoother than it started out. _She pushed off the wall and began walking towards the four busy turtles. 

"Hey!" Mike yelled, suddenly. After a look from Leonardo about the sleeping baby, he toned it down a bit. "What about a name?"

April smiled to herself as she walked. _Since when has anything been easy when it comes to them? _


	4. Reflections

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT.

A/N - Yes, this could very well look familiar to some people. I originally posted this as a separate story, but thanks to a kind reviewer, (thanks, red turtle), who got me thinking about it, I decided that it did fit better as an actual chapter. Although it takes place right after chapter three, if you haven't read it, please do. 

Looking back, I think it adds more to the story. Too bad it took me this long to realize it… Unfortunately, this means losing my reviews for when this was a separate story, so thanks to those who wrote me one. I'm hoping to add this in without losing all the reviews you kind people have left me for 'What The Heart Wants'. So if they're gone, I'm sorry. And thank you for reviewing. 

This is Michaelangelo's perspective on the first three chapters of it, centering on the third, since we don't see him in too much of it. It just shows some stuff that happened behind the scenes, as it were. Some stuff that I took out of my original draft. 

I really hope I got him in character, all of them. I tried to write what I thought he'd say in this situation. Writing Mikey as serious is hard. But people's points of view change in circumstances like this. Emotions run high. It just goes to show that not everyone can be a jokester all the time… And I hope I've captured that. Hope you enjoy. 

Reflections: Michaelangelo

It's not fair. It's really not. Don brought home this baby, she was so cute. And now, after we all got attached to her, he's going to give her away. Well, I hope not. He's called April, though, and that can't be good. He can't just give up on this now. 

Yeah, I was surprised. I mean, of all of us, he'd be the last one I'd expect to bring home a baby. I'd expect… well, probably me, but not Don. I guess I just never thought of him as the paternal type, y'know? Not that he's not, I just never thought he'd come home with something he just found, like a baby. He'd always seemed too level- headed for that. But I'm glad, I like the baby. It's a big change, but a good one. Gives us something else to focus on. 

The rest of them may not agree with me, but I say it was meant to be. Why else would that baby be in the same alley at the same time as my brother? Well, besides the fact that Don was meeting the mother there… I still say it was fate. How can something like this be a mistake. I like to watch her sleep, when it's my turn to watch her. She's so tiny and new, and she looks so… heavenly when she sleeps. Like an angel. I wonder if we ever looked like that when we slept. That cute. 

I know it's not easy taking care of a baby, I really do. I'm not that naïve. The others may think so, April might, but I'm not. I can hear her cry at night, and Donnie gets up, faithfully, every time to feed her. I also know that Leo's up, too, but the baby doesn't wake him. He hasn't slept since Splinter died. And he doesn't know that I know that, either. Plus, she's a human baby, which doesn't mean much to me, but it must to the others. Not Donnie, he loves her, I know. I hear him sing her back to sleep sometimes, like the second night she was here. She slept really good the rest of that night. But Raph's really detached from her. I think he just doesn't want to get hurt. I think that's why he's so detached from everything. 

But we packed up almost everything that April brought us, after Donnie told us about the mother. And he was upset. I knew something was wrong the moment he came out of his lab. I wanted to ask him what had happened , but he was gone to talk to Leo before I had the chance. They talk a lot now. Donnie used to talk to me. Not that he doesn't anymore, but now… I guess maybe I feel a little bad. Not that we're not best buds anymore or anything, 'cause we are, all of us… Maybe it's my fault, too. I yelled at him for not feeding the baby on time that day. 

I think maybe they're hiding something, Leo and Don. That makes me feel a little better at least. Not that they're hiding something, but that they're not just avoiding me. They're in the kitchen, talking to April right now. Raph came in and joined me in the living room, sitting on the back of the couch. He didn't say anything. Neither did I. I think I might cry…

I heard the chair scrape in the kitchen, and Don came walking through, a look on his face that I couldn't recognize. He returned with the baby, and sat down next to me. I leaned over him to tickle her chin. I say she likes it. Raph says it's gas, but what does he know, anyway? 

I know what's going to happen, and I can't let it. I can't just sit here and say nothing. So I open up my big mouth. 

I looked at all the glum faces. "Well, we are gonna keep her, aren't we? I mean… aren't we?" I finish softly. 

"Mike, it's not a cat. It's not some dog or lizard. _She's _a baby. A human baby." Don's voice broke. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, trying, and failing, to calm himself. "It's not some animal that we found that we can raise and keep in the lair forever. We can't take on _every _stray we ever find…We can't help everyone." He said angrily. 

I looked down, biting my lip. He was upset with this situation, not with me. I know that, but it doesn't stop me from getting angry, too. He's never spoken to me like that before, like I'm dumber than he is. I am, but then everyone's dumber than him, he's a genius. But he's never, ever acted like I was. 

"But I just thought… I thought you liked her, is all…" I tried to talk calmly, tried to get him to calm down. 

"Well you thought wrong, Mike." He said the words harshly, and even Raph looked over. But the look on his face… It was killing him to say so. 

"I don't think I am." I said softly. I was angry. I am _not _stupid. Sometimes a little distracted, but not stupid. "I know she's not a cat, or a dog, or a stupid stray pet. I know she's human, I'm not blind. And I know that we can't help everyone, we've learned that much, haven't we?" I took a deep breath. I couldn't believe I was saying this. "How dare you assume I don't know?! I know a lot more than you think that I do. You care about this baby. I see it. Just me. Little old not- as- smart- as- Donnie me. Tell me I'm wrong. I'm not. You're just not turtle enough to admit it." I was practically shaking. He looked at me, but not in anger like I thought. He just looked… thoughtful. And sad maybe, but thoughtful. 

The baby began to fuss, with all the commotion, so I leaned back over, tickling her chin again, calming myself as much as her. A minute later, Leo an April walked in. Don began talking, and my heart just about broke. When he handed April the baby, and she walked away, every fiber of my being told me to get up and stop her. But Donnie beat me to it. He told April he was sorry, that he wanted to keep her. And then he looked at the rest of us, and said he was sorry again. He caught my eye, and I smiled slightly, and nodded. I was sorry, too. He finally admitted he wanted to keep her, and we are. I let out a cry of joy, unable to help myself. I earned a look from Leo for it, but I don't care. We were keeping her. I was glad, but more for Donnie than myself. He loves her, and she makes him happy. And things are cool between us again. In the slight glance he gave me, we reconciled, as only brothers can. 

It's not going to be easy, but we'll get through it. Besides, Don's got us to help him. And that gives me years to mold her into the image of her favorite uncle. Whether they like it or not… It's gonna be a fun ride. I wonder how soon I can teach her 'cowabunga'? 


	5. Chapter 4 The Name Game

Disclaimer: I still don't own the TMNT. *sigh* I'm beginning to think I never will. Oh well, I still own the baby, who will have an actual name from here on out. Yay. 

A/N - I've changed the category this fic was in, putting it into drama, too. I realized my summary was a bit misleading, seeing as how it was under General/ Humor. And I wrote a lot of stuff that should be in the Drama category. 

If you'd like to archive my story elsewhere, please just ask. 

And, I know in my last update, I said I'd try to email everyone who reviewed me. Well, I'm having trouble with my mail, it won't send some stuff. Unless I just did something wrong, which could very well be. So don't feel put out if I don't reply to you. I can still get mail, though. Thanks again!! OK, now, on with the story!!

Chapter 4 - The Name Game 

Donatello went to put the baby to bed, and April excused herself, stating she had to get up early for work. 

The rest of them gathered in the living room,. 

"OK, guys." Michaelangelo sat down on the floor. "We need to give this baby a name."

"No, Mikey, I thought we'd just call it 'the baby' forever." Raphael said sarcastically. 

Leonardo sat down on the couch. "OK, let's think…" 

"OK, guys." Donatello came back into the room and sat in the chair. "Let's brainstorm." 

Michaelangelo rolled his eyes. "You make this sound like homework…" He made a face. 

Raphael sat on the floor near Mike, but leaned back against the couch, trying to look nonchalant. 

"She needs a good name." Don started. "A name that…" 

"Shows she's a girl?" 

"Right." Don looked at Raphael in annoyance. "But more than that." He gestured helplessly. "You know." 

Leonardo nodded. "Maybe, we could give her a Renaissance name, like us." 

Michaelangelo smirked. "Like Raphaela…" He laughed until Raph growled and threw a pillow, which connected to his face. "Ow." He grumbled, but smiled. 

"Guys." Don reprimanded. "This is serious. This is going to shape her whole life…"

"How about Barbara?" Mike shot out. 

"Mikey, we are not naming her after a silicon manic doll." Raphael said.

"Well, what about Kelly?" Leo said, but it was drowned out by Mike's next suggestion. 

"Brittany!" Mike shouted out.

"No, Mike…"

"Christina!" 

"Mikey…" 

"Beyonce!" 

Raphael clamped a hand over Mike's mouth. Donatello put a hand onto his head. "She is never watching TV with you. Ever." 

Leo looked at them. "Well, Don, do you have any ideas?" 

"Ummm, yeah." Don said, looking down. "I was thinking of, umm… I liked Rosalind." He said shyly. 

"Hmmm…I like it." Michaelangelo flipped through the baby book he'd found in the pile of things that April had left before. 

Leo smiled. "Yeah… Rosalind."

"Rosalind Imogen." Don said softly. He didn't exactly enjoy being the center of attention. 

"I like it." Even Raph smiled. 

"Yeah, good name, Donnie." Mike flipped through a few more pages, then gasped. "Hey! What if she turns out to be like her favorite uncle?" 

Raph grabbed the book from Michaelangelo. "We'll spend the rest of our lives making sure that doesn't happen." He said, then flipped through the book, also. 

"OK," Leo said. "Rosalind Imogen it is." He smiled. "Where did you get that, Donnie?"

"Shakespeare." Don smiled. "Rosalind's from 'As You Like It', and Imogen's from 'Cymbelene'." 

Suddenly, a wail came from the other room. 

"Well, looks like little Rosalind Imogen's looking for you, Don." Raph sat back and smirked. "Have at it." 

"Thanks." Don said sarcastically, but got up and went to check on her. 

Mike grabbed the book back and pouted. "I still say we should've named her after Raph." He ducked as Raph swung at him. "Listen to that pair of lungs." He gasped, running around the couch while trying not to laugh at Raphael, who tripped on the rug in his haste to go after him. 

Leo shook his head and smiled. A few minutes later, Donatello came back into the room. 

"Diaper change." He said simply, and Leo nodded. 

"Leo?" Don said softly. 

"Yeah?" He looked at Donatello. He looked nervous. 

"I, uh, need to tell you something. I… lied to you." 

Leo was confused. "What do you mean?" Mike and Raph stopped their fight and walked back over to the couch, where Don and Leo sat. 

"I, uh, never really talked to Liv about this. I never said I'd watch her."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked. 

Raphael gave a disgusted sigh. "What he means, Mikey, is that she just left her. The stupid b--"

Don broke in, covering whatever Raphael had been about to say. "She left her." He burst out. "I found her in the alley we were supposed to meet in, and there was a note… I didn't know what to do, so I just brought her here. I didn't know what else to do." He looked to his brothers. Michaelangelo's face was sad, and Raphael's was angry. But Leo just looked thoughtful. 

"You knew." Don whispered. It was enough to break Leo out of his thoughts. He looked at Don, then nodded slowly. "I'd figured as much." Leo said. 

"I'm sorry." Donatello whispered, looking down to the ground. "I never meant to betray your trust like that. All of you… I'm sorry." 

There was silence for a moment before Mike broke in. 

"Hey, dude, it's OK. But if you really want to make up for it, my stomach's singing the praises of pizza!"

Raphael finally got his revenge, grabbing the pillow from the couch and hitting Mike on the back of the head so hard, he tumbled over the couch face first. 

Leo snorted in laughter, trying to hold it in, but failing when Michaelangelo stood up, a tiny pink bow stuck to the side of his head. They all burst into laughter, even Mike, and Don went to call the pizza place. 

****************************

Donatello stumbled to the kitchen from another late night feeding and changing. Leo was at the fridge, but shut the door and sat down at the table with Don after grabbing his drink. 

"We've got to stop meeting like this." Don joked softly, smiling weakly. 

"Ah, I don't think it's so bad." Leo said, opening a water. He took a swig, then made a face. "Jeez, how do you guys drink this?" Donatello made a gesture for Leo to give it to him. Leo handed it to him, then stood back up, walking back over to the fridge. "You guys may think I'm an uptight pain in the butt, but I say, give me the good, old fashioned pure caffeine." He grabbed a soda, then sat back down. 

Don took a sip of the water. "I don't think you're uptight." He said, calmly, sipping his water, and trying to hide his grin. 

Leo stopped drinking for a second and looked at Don. "Ha ha." He said. "Very funny." 

"Well, I try." Don said, then fell silent. 

"So, how are you?" Leo asked him, looking concerned. 

"I'm… I'm good. Doing OK." Don said, not looking at his brother. "Why? Because of the late night hours?" 

"No, it's more than the lost sleep." Leo said. "What I mean is, how _are _you?" He looked at Donatello. 

Don played with the wrapper on the bottle of water for a few minutes before answering. He could feel Leo's gaze on him, waiting patiently for him to answer. 

"I don't know, Leo." He looked up at him. "I honestly don't know how I feel. Sad, I mean, I guess. I guess, I just think that, maybe, there was something that I could've done. That I could've said. That could have made this whole thing turn out differently. I didn't know…"

"Don…" Leo was shocked at his brother's revelation. He thought he was to blame in this? "Don, don't you ever think you had any kind of hand in this. Liv… she had some problems. Problems that you couldn't fix."

"She just seemed so… I don't know." Don was back to playing with the label, tearing it into tiny pieces onto the table. "She was just so bright and funny and confident and… she was just so…"

"Nobody's perfect, Donnie." Leo said softly. 

"I know." Don sighed. "But she seemed like she was so close." He smiled sadly. "Maybe there was some sign I'd missed…something." 

It was Leo's turn to sigh. "She had problems, Donnie. Real big problems. Behind everything else she seemed like. You can't trust how people come off, especially if you can't see them." 

"I know." Don said softly, sounding close to tears. 

Leo caught this change, and sighed again, wishing he knew what to say, what to do, to make this all seem better. But there was nothing. 

"Don…" He began, but stopped when Don started talking again. 

"Y'know, maybe if I were more like Mikey, I could've done more." He said, his voice watery. "Mike's so good at picking up on stuff like that. Maybe I could've said something. Maybe…"

"Maybe, if you were Mikey, you would've been late meeting her and someone else would've found the baby. Someone that wouldn't have done what you did, taking care of her." Leo started. "Maybe she wouldn't have agreed to meet you at all, and done something to herself with the baby in the apartment with her, and no one would have found her until it was too late. Maybe she'd have hurt the baby instead." 

"She would never have…" Don began, his voice growing stronger. 

"But we don't know that, do we?" Leo said softly. Don looked away again. "Yeah, Don. Mikey's real good at picking up emotions and stuff. But you're better at knowing what's right to do with them. Maybe he would have picked something up. Maybe not. Would he have done the same things as you?" He sighed. "Don, you're the most competent person I know. You know what to do in situations. I… I admire that about you."

"Not in this one." Don spoke to his water. He furiously wiped his cheeks, where tears leaked down and fell to the table. 

"Yes you did." Leo said, reaching across the table to squeeze his brother's wrist for a moment in comfort. 

"You did the right thing. Bringing her here. She's safe here. And loved. I think this is the best way this situation could have turned out. It was _out of your control_." Leo sat back. "And you made the most of what you could control." 

Don smiled weakly, and looked back up at him slightly. "Raph wasn't too thrilled." 

"If Raph didn't want this, you would've heard his big mouth telling you so from dawn to dusk. Mikey was right about that." Leo looked around for a second before moving chairs so he was now sitting next to Donatello. "Look, don't tell him I told you so, but Raph cares a heck of a lot more than he lets on. The second night, when the baby slept really soundly?" Don nodded, and Leo continued. "He went and checked on her to make sure that she was still OK. He was afraid something had happened to her, and wanted to make sure she was still all right." Leo sat back, his arms crossed, smiling. "But don't let on I told. He'd kill me." 

"Did he see you?" Donatello asked, his eyes wide, and a smile starting. 

"Oh yeah." Leo nodded. "That's when he told me he'd kill me if I told." 

Donatello's smile became full- blown at the visual of Raphael sneaking out of the baby's room, and discovering that he'd been caught. He snickered. "OK, for supplying that great visual, not to mention future blackmail, I'll keep it a secret. It's too good to share." 

"Oh, yeah." Leo said, and they both sat there until Leo stood, clearing his throat. "Don, all kidding aside, I meant what I said. You did the right thing." He took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "Master Splinter would've been proud of you." He finished, softly, averting his eyes from Don's. 

Don stood then, also. He walked up and squeezed his brother's shoulder. "Thank you." He said, speaking just as softly. "I… thank you." He smiled at Leo, then turned to go back to bed. "Goodnight, Leo."

He turned back after a few steps. "Same time tomorrow?" He half joked. 

"Yeah." Leo said. "At least as long as she wakes up during the night."

"And you have insomnia." 

"Yeah." Leo smiled. "Deal?" 

"Deal." Don smiled, his first genuine smile of the night. He turned back to go to his room. 

"Night." He called back again. 

"Goodnight." Leo walked back to his room, and lay on his bed. Soon, the barrier he'd held for over a year now broke down, and he could feel the tears run down his cheeks, each one breaking open the dam a little more, until his face was soaked and his eyes red. He let out a choked sigh, and laid his head down onto his now drenched pillow. He closed his eyes, rivers still streaming down his face. Soon, they slowed, and his shoulders stopped their heaving, and his breaths became calmer as he fell asleep, and had the best night's rest he'd had in almost two years. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N - OK, guys, this fic's not even near done, which is good news if you like it, bad if you don't. But it will get more interesting, I promise. More action coming up soon! 


	6. Chapter 5 Learning All Over Again

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, but I do own Rosalind. 

A/N - OK, this chapter just came to me today, when I was writing the next chapter, and I had to put it in. I sincerely hope that I didn't mangle Leo's personality too bad, because I was doing so good with it before. (at least, I hope so) I was just trying to imagine his reactions, with everything that's changed with them now. I apologize now for him being too out of character. I tried. I don't want to anger any Leo fans out there, so I'm sorry if I wrote him wrong. 

Chapter 5 - Learning All over Again 

Leo sat, reading a book, when he heard the baby cry. He sat back, looking around. There was no one around. 

"Don?" He called. No answer. "Mike?" Where was everyone? He opened his mouth again, but a voice in the back of his head stopped him. _'Raph, really? You're going to call him?' _He shook his head. He'd have better luck getting Mikey to give up pizza. 

Leonardo stood, and walked into the baby's room. He looked down into the crib. Rosalind's tiny face was screwed up in a wail, and bright red. 

"Hey, what's the matter, baby?" He whispered. She hiccupped once, then took a deep breath, and screamed full force again. He leaned down and awkwardly patted her stomach. "Uh, it's OK, baby, stop crying." 

He mentally went through everything that could be wrong. He sighed. He was no good at this. If Don didn't have the baby, it was more likely to be found with Mike than anywhere else. Not that Leo didn't like her. He did, he just wasn't totally comfortable with her yet. He blamed the fact that Mike was always hogging her, but knew that wasn't really it. _'What is it, then?' _He thought to himself. He wasn't good with babies, he told himself. _'Liar.' _The thought swept through his head. He'd held her once, shortly. When they'd first had her. And it was different then. She was only going to be there for a few days, no pressure. No emotional commitment. She was someone else's, and he just wanted to try holding a baby. No harm. 

God, he sounded just like Raph. 

When had he become so emotion- phobic? Was he? When had it become so hard? The answer lingered in his mind, but he refused to acknowledge it. He'd always been too busy training or studying to focus on emotions like that. He'd never been as emotional as Mike, or Don even. He was raised to respect his master and his brothers. And he loved them, all of them, even Raph, unconditionally. But this time was different. This time it was a commitment. He looked around, sighing again. Still no one. He looked down at her again. She looked up at him, then burst back into tears. 

He sighed, then gently picked her up. Her cries softened slightly, and he brought her up to his chest. A feeling of warmth ran through him, and he looked down at her. She sniffed, still whimpering. She was so trusting, so loving. So innocent. He longed for the days when they'd been that innocent. When they could trust that easily. She started crying again, and he began gently swinging her from side to side, and her cries quieted, then stopped. He looked down at her, and found that she was staring at him, her face thoughtful. 

"Well, Rosalind, you sure have given us a shakeup, haven't you?" She looked at him still, eyes locked on his. He chuckled. "Well, I didn't really expect an answer, now, did I?" He sat down with her, and shifted her so that he could look down at her. "I can't get those guys to practice more than twice a week, now, you know. Except for Raph, and soon I'm going to need another sparring partner, if we train together anymore, well… We need a serious redo in the training department." He grinned down at her. She opened her mouth, yawning. 

"Yeah, I know, I'm not us funny as your Uncle Mike, or as clever as your father, and I don't have much to give you… but I promise, I'll always be there to protect you." He whispered the last part. Yes, he could do that. He could promise that. He looked down at her, and then smiled again. She was sleeping. He gently rose, and then carried her back to her crib, laying her gently inside. He softly caressed her head, feeling the soft, downy brown hair that was beginning to grow. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all. He smiled to himself, then walked back over to the table, where he'd abandoned his book. He sat down, his heart lighter, now, than it was before. He picked up the book, smiling to himself. 

**********************************

Don paced back and forth, holding Rosalind in his arms. She was screaming, her face red. 

"Come on, baby." He said softly. "Shhh… Please." He pleaded with her wearily. She'd been screaming for the past half an hour. He looked towards the other's rooms warily. Sooner or later, someone was bound to wake up. He hoped it wasn't Raph. With that thought, he tried to calm her down again. 

"Come on, Angel. Shhh. Please." He jiggled her up and down, softly. 

Michaelangelo walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes. "Did you try her bottle?" He asked, yawning.

"Of course." Don looked at him, then smiled. His face still had a crease from his pillow in it. 

"How about her di- di- diaper?" He yawned again. 

  
"Mike, I…" Don began, but stopped, when both Leo and Raph walked over to them. "Sorry guys." He said to them as they walked up. 

"What's wrong with her?" Raph asked. 

"I don't know." Don sighed. "I can't get her to calm down." 

Leo shrugged, then leaned against the wall, stifling a yawn himself. "No problem, Donnie. She's a baby. She'll do that." 

"How do we get her to stop?" Raphael asked, looking slightly annoyed. 

"I don't know." Don said again, frowning. He looked at them helplessly. "I've been trying forever." 

Leo pushed off of the wall, and walked over to Don. "Let me have her." 

Don looked at his brother. 

"Give her to me." Leo reached for her. "She likes it when you do this." He began gently swinging her back and forth. After a minute, she stopped crying. 

"How'd you do that?" Raph asked in awe. 

Leo shrugged. "Just my natural gift, I guess." 

"Well, thank you." Don said, and Mike nodded. 

"Yeah, dude." Mike turned back. "I'm goin' back to bed." 

"Me too." Raph nodded. "Night, guys." 

Don reached for the baby, but Leo pulled back. "I'll… I'll put her back to bed." He said. 

"Really?" Don asked, smiling. 

"Yeah." Leo shrugged. "No problem." 

"Thanks." Don left to go back to bed. 

"Night." Leo called. He took her back to her crib, and looked down at her. "You know, I think we needed something to keep us on our toes. I think you're going to be just what we needed." He looked down at Rosalind. He didn't know when it had become so hard, but he was learning again. 'J_ust what we needed.' _

He smiled down at the sleeping baby one more time, then went back to bed. 


	7. Chapter 6 Just Another Day

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. I do own Rosalind. 

A/N - This next chapter is pretty much just a couple little 'Days in the life' of the turtles and the baby. There is also a passage of about 3 months in between the two parts of this chapter, just in case I didn't make it clear in the story. I'm having trouble making the passing of time less confusing in this story. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Again, thanks to all for the nice reviews. I still can't email everyone yet, so please don't be angry if I don't respond. But keep reviewing, I can get all the mail still . And I love it so. Thanks again. I appreciate them.

And, it was pointed out to me that I had it set to not accept any anonymous reviews. Thanks, Ramica! I did not realize this, and have fixed that. So, if anyone tried to review and couldn't, I apologize. And if you're still reading, you can all review! Sorry about before, I didn't know. Forgive me. 

By the way, after I'd already decided on the name, I found out that the name Rosalind is an intellectual power name. How fitting, then, for Don to name her that. Just something extra I just figured out, that someone might find interesting. Now, on with the story! 

Chapter 6 - Just Another Day… 

"DONNIE!" Donatello could hear Raphael bellowing from the other room. "She did it AGAIN!" 

Don let his head sink down onto the table, hitting the keyboard of the computer he was trying to fix. Raising a baby was no cheap matter, and they needed food and clothes and other things that they couldn't find or make. And Rosalind grew like a weed. Don had taken to fixing things for money. April would bring him things from her apartment building; from her neighbors, things that people wanted fixed, and he'd do it, sometimes improving on them. It didn't pay much, and sometimes it was a pain, but it bought the food, for now. And April was always happy to spoil the baby, all too much sometimes, Don thought. 

He broke out of it when he heard the starting whimpers of the baby. He got up and stretched, rubbing his sore neck muscles, and walked into the other room, where Michaelangelo was glaring at Raphael. 

"Look, you scared her." He cradled the baby protectively. Don looked to Raph. He tried not to smile when he saw the reason for all the ruckus. Raph had a generous splattering of some post- lunch spit- up on his leg. Rosalind, or Lindy, as they had taken to calling her, had decided that Raph was the perfect target for getting rid of some unwanted food. 

'Poor Lindy." Mike cooed, cradling her to him protectively. "Did mean old Uncle Raph scare you?" She placed her head in the crook of his neck, and stuck a finger into her mouth. Raphael growled. 

"I swear, that kid has it in for me." He said. "She's tryin' to drown me." But his growl was softened now. "I don't get it, I really don't. Mikey can hold her for hours, and two seconds after I get her, BOOM. It's like 'The Exorcist' in here." 

"Ah, Raph, that's just because you don't have my natural charm and ability with kids." Mike tossed Lindy gently into the air, and caught her swiftly. She shrieked in laughter. 

"Yeah, not to mention matching IQ levels." Raph muttered, wiping his leg with the paper towel Don handed him.

"I think there's somethin' wrong with her, Don. Seriously." Raph turned to Don, and it was all he could do not to smile at the concern that Raphael was trying to hide in his eyes. 

"Raph, she's a four month old." Don explained again, gently, trying not to set his brother off. "That'll happen. They do that." He grinned wryly. "Must we make Mikey read you that chapter in the book

again?" 

Raph's eyes widened. "No. No, that's OK." 

"Apologize to Lindy." Mike said from his place behind the couch, keeping, Don noted, a large piece of furniture between himself and Raph. 

"What?" Raph turned to look at him in shock. "I'm not…" 

"Apologize to Lindy." Mike said firmly.

Raph opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, instead walking over to Mike and Lindy. Don could see Mike tense for a second as Raph reached out, but Raph just gently patted Lindy's head, softly stroking her silky, soft brown hair. 

"Sorry kiddo." he said softly, then walked off to clean himself off better. 

Mike looked to Don, an astonished look on his face. He then looked back down at the baby. "You, are going to be a great tool for Uncle Mikey to use against Uncle Raph when you get older." He held her out in front of him, smiling. She gurgled back, smiling just as widely. 

***************************

Time's a funny thing. It passes quickly, all too much so, sometimes. Never is this more apparent than when a baby is involved. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months…

***************************

Leonardo watched his opponent carefully, waiting for him to make a move, give him a chance to move in for the strike… There. He moved in swiftly, delivering a blow to his opponent's chest, knocking him backwards and effectively ending the fight.

Don sat up, wheezing and gasping for air. The blow had knocked the wind out of him. 

"Nice one, Leo." He wheezed, hands on his knees as he stood, attempting to catch his breath. 

"Don…" Leo shook his head. "You were distracted." 

"I know." Don said, apologetically, walking over from the mat to the corner of the room, where Lindy had 

wandered and was about to pick up a nunchuck. He grabbed it from her chubby hand quickly, then picked 

her up, kissing her on the head. She giggled and reached for something else. 

"Sorry." Don continued. "I just noticed her moving; she's getting so fast now…" She grabbed his mask and stuck part of it into her mouth. "I didn't want her to grab anything dangerous." He gently, almost unconsciously, removed his mask from her mouth as he spoke. "Just wait until she learns to walk." He smiled down at her. 

"Yeah." Leo smiled, then continued seriously. "But in a battle…"

"Oh, Leo. The only battle we're up against now is how much Raph's going to fight over baby- proofing the lair." Don stopped, then smiled again. "I wonder how that's going, by the way." 

Leo sighed, knowing this fight was lost. "Well, with Mikey and Raph doing it, you never know." 

"Yeah." Don said, smiling. "We'd better get out there soon, or Raph's going to baby- proof Mike." 

They both walked out into the living room, where Raph and Mikey were trying to figure out what needed baby proofing. Mike had obviously given up on reading the book, and was down on all fours, crawling around. 

Raph, meanwhile, was muttering to himself about the whole ordeal. "Can't believe it. Only seven months old… and already getting into every-…"

"But Raph," Mike broke in, popping his head up from underneath the table. "The book says that seven months of age is when…"

"Mike, if I hear one more word today about what that book says, I'm going to lock you in the cabinet, and baby proof the handle." Raph spoke lowly, the tone dangerous. Mike gulped and ducked back under the table. 

Don chuckled. "Mike," He said, looking under the table at him. "What are you doing?" 

"Oh, I'm baby proofing, like you told me to. I did all the stuff in the book, and now I'm double checking everything, from her point of view. See?" He demonstrated, crawling around a bit more. He stood then, and bowed at Leo and Don. "To accomplish our goals, we must first become one with… uh, that which we must defend?" He said wisely, as if he were teaching them an ancient secret. Leo rolled his eyes. Don snickered. 

"Do you see?" Raphael said from across the room. "Do you see what I've had to put up with for the past hour and a half? I'd have rather watched the baby. At least she can't escape from her crib." He muttered. 

"Yet." Mike put in helpfully. Don had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. 

"And, you know, these instructions are stupid." Raph continued. "Look, look at these. Even Donnie couldn't read these. I locked the instructions in the cabinet twice and it took me forever to open them." 

Now even Leo was holding in a laugh. Raph turned to glare at Mikey. "It's not funny, Mike." 

Michaelangelo laughed, then moved back a few paces. "Oh sure it was." He looked to Leo and Don. "I had to take his sais away from him." 

Raph moved up a few steps menacingly. "Mikey, I said it's not funny." 

"Yes it is." Mike looked back from Raph to the others and smiled widely. "Because I could get it open." He said in a sing- song voice, and then took off out the door, Raphael hot on his heels. They could hear him laugh all the way down the tunnel, until suddenly, everything went quiet. 

After a few seconds, Leo looked at Don. His eyes held concern. 

"You don't think he killed him, do you?" Don whispered to Leo, only partly joking. Leo looked back at Don, and then shrugged. He moved up to the door of the lair, listening for anything. He glanced at Don once more, and then opened his mouth to yell for them, when Raph's voice came from down the tunnel. 

"Hey, you guys better get down here. There're tracks. Somebody's been down here." 

Leo and Don both took off down the tunnel until they saw Michaelangelo standing there. 

"Where's Raph?" Leo asked him. Mike pointed his finger down another of the tunnels, and Leo followed. Don handed Lindy to Mike. "Watch her for a second." Mike nodded. Don then went in where Leo had gone, walking until he could see Leo and Raph. Raphael was staring at the wall, his fists clenched, and Leo stood, shaking his head sadly. 

"What is it?" Don asked, running up to them. 

"Look." Leo said, simply. Don looked at the wall, then saw what Raph was staring at. He gasped, tracing a finger over the marking. "Is that…?" He began, unable to form the question. Leo nodded, and so did Raph. Don let out a breath, and looked back at the symbol. 

"They're all over here." Raphael said finally. "They must've marked off every tunnel they've checked. They're looking for something. Three guesses what." 

Don sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall. "I thought we were done with them." He shook his head. "I thought…" He gulped, looking away from them. 

"I know." Leo said quietly. "Me too." 

They walked back up to Mike, who was still standing where they'd left him, holding Lindy, who'd fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Is it what we thought it was?" He asked, any traces of the sarcasm or joking from just a few minutes ago gone, as he looked at them. 

"Yeah." Raph sighed, looking back into the dark tunnel, a disgusted look on his face. "The Foot were down here. They're looking for us." 


	8. Chapter 7 One Of Those Days

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. I own Lindy. If you want to post my story on your site, please just ask. (Not that I'm saying anyone does, but just in case…) 

I've decided that my companion piece to this story, Reflections, really should go into this whole story as a chapter, so it should be after chapter three. As I said in that author's note, I had to lose the reviews I got for that when it was a separate story. Thanks to those who reviewed. I actually managed adding it without losing all my reviews or chapters. Yay! 

If you haven't read Reflections, please do. I really think it adds to the story. It's after chapter 3. 

A/N - This chapter takes place one month after the events in the last chapter. The sewer systems are huge, but, sooner or later, they'll be found out. They know this, and are getting antsy. Tensions are running at an all time high. And that tension is getting to them. And they react to that. It just goes to show that not everyone can get along all the time. 

Chapter 7 - One of Those Days

Leonardo put a hand to his head. This was not going well. 

"Jeez, Leo." Mike sat down heavily. "D'you think we can rest for a few minutes?" He lay forward on the ground. "We've been practicing all day." 

"We need to practice all day. We've been slacking." Leo looked over at Mike. "Mike, please. Get up. I'm having enough trouble as it is, without you…" 

He was cut off as Lindy let out a wail. Don immediately stopped sparring with Raph and went to go check on her. Raphael sighed heavily. Don came running back a moment later, retying his mask. "She's OK, just fell. She's not quite steady on her feet yet." 

Raph looked over to Leo. "You know, it's kinda hard sparring with someone who keeps running off every two seconds." 

Leo opened his mouth, but was cut off by Don. 

"Hey." Donatello said. "What if she'd been hurt or something?" He sounded annoyed. 

"And what if it was like the other three thousand times that she's not?" Raphael looked back to Leo. "I still say we should go after them." 

"Raph, we are not going looking for the Foot." Leo said. "Look, you spar with Mike, OK?" 

Raph grunted, and walked up to Mike, who was still laying on the ground. "And I still say, we shouldn't worry about it." Mike said. "They're probably not going to find us, and, if they do, we'll just kick their butts, like usual." 

"Staying here, doing nothing is a big waste of time." Raph retorted. "I wanna go get this over with. I hate just sitting around." 

"And, what do you mean, the 'three thousand times she's not'?" Don broke in. "Lindy does not cry that much." 

Raph rolled his eyes, ignoring him. "So we're just gonna train twelve hours a day, and then sit around and wait? If we train like Mikey, here, then you're right. We'll get our butts kicked." He kicked him lightly in the side. 

"Hey!" Michaelangelo sat up. 

Leonardo put a finger to his temple. He was getting a headache. He looked back at the others. Mike had stood, and was arguing with Raph, and Don was standing next to Mike, arms crossed, injecting his own comments every so often. Lindy babbled happily in the background. It all sounded like a rush in his ears as he closed his eyes tightly, trying to regain his composure. He opened his eyes. Suddenly, he could hear everything crystal- clear again. 

Raphael and Michaelangelo were face to face, Mike's face turning red. Don looked between the two, looking wary. Leo was surprised, too. Mike usually never stood up to Raph like this. Just what he needed. Leo took a few steps toward them. He could hear Don talking now.

"…agree with Leo. I think we should just lay low." 

"And I don't think we should worry about it at all." Mikey broke in. 

"Well, I never said that…" Don said. 

"Guys." Leo said, trying to get their attention. It didn't work. "Guys…" He was getting angry now, and he hated to lose his cool during practice like this. But the arguing continued, along with the constant string of noise from Lindy in the back… 

"_GUYS!!" _He shouted over the noise, actually sounding louder than he'd meant to. They all looked over at him, surprised. 

He sighed, suddenly exhausted. "Raph, stop fighting with Mikey. Mike, _please _stop complaining. Don…" He broke off and sighed again. 

"Who do you think you are?" Raph broke in angrily, his eyes flashing, already pumped from his argument with Mike. "Telling us what to and what not to do. You're not…"

"We're all tired." Don interjected. "Maybe a break's a good idea." He looked at Leonardo, then pointedly at Raph. 

"OK." Leo said. "A short break. But then we practice again." Michaelangelo groaned in the background. 

"We need this, guys." Leonardo continued. "We have to be ready for when, or if, they find us. Those symbols were too close for my comfort, and I want to be prepared. I don't want to lose anybody…" 

"Hey," Don slung an arm around Leonardo's shoulders. "We're not going anywhere. None of us." He looked to Raphael and Michaelangelo, who both just nodded. 

"I just… I just want to be prepared, you know." Leo said, looking at Raph and Mike. "That's the most important thing. I don't want to be caught by surprise. I can't handle something like that again. I really can't." He finished quietly. The others looked at each other. He'd never said anything like that before. 

Don squeezed Leo's shoulder slightly again, then turned to look at Raph and Mike. "Just a little break, then we come back." 

They both nodded. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Mike broke the silence by walking forward suddenly. "I'll bet Lindy needs a diaper change by now." He grabbed her up. "I'll do it." He disappeared out the door. Raph turned to look at Leo and Don. "That is one weird turtle." He smiled, shaking his head. Then he, too, left to the other room. Don turned to Leo. "Are you OK?" He asked. 

Leo opened his mouth once, then closed it. He looked at Donatello, then opened his mouth again. "I'm worried." He said simply, then left the room to join the others. A minute later, Donatello followed suit. He walked into the other room, and found Mike, who was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of ice cream. 

"Secret food of all great ninjas, huh?" He asked, sitting down next to Mike. 

Michaelangelo looked over at him and grinned. "Breakfast of champions, dude." 

"Where's Lindy?" Don asked. Michaelangelo simply grinned and pointed down at the table. Don leaned back to get a look. He grinned. She was sitting in between Mike's feet, playing happily with a spoon and bowl that Mikey must have handed her. 

"Tough practice, today, huh?" Don commented, his head still under the table. 

"Maybe a little too tough." Mike muttered. Don heard him, and looked back up at Mike, who was suddenly very interested in his ice cream.

"Mikey, I…" He stopped. "Look, I think it's important that we practice… At least for today. I… Leo… It's important to him, you know. More important than it used to be. It's more than just practice now. It's different now, you know?" 

"He thinks I don't get that." Mike said softly. 

"No, no…" Don said hastily. "He knows you…" 

"He thinks I don't understand why he's so adamant about us working together. About practicing for hours everyday." He looked to Don. "I get it. I really do, but, I do think there is such a thing as too much practice, too." 

Don was shocked. Mikey'd never talked to him this seriously about practice before, if at all. 

"Well," Don started. "I guess it would account for some of the things that have been going on." 

"We practice so much…" Mike sighed. "It's not fun anymore. Everyone's fighting with everyone, and sooner or later, someone's gonna blow." He gave a small grin. "And I do mean sooner." 

"You're right." Don said. 

Mike looked at him, with surprise on his face. 

"I agree. I do." Don said. "Leo and Raph have been sparring together for so long now, just the two of them, that someone's gonna end up getting hurt." He looked down. "Although, that is partly my fault, too. And I admit that." He looked back at Michaelangelo. "Look, we'll get through this practice, and then I'll talk to…" 

"Leo!" They both jumped as Raphael's voice boomed from the other room. Don and Mike looked at each other, Mike's jaw slightly slack. Soon, Raphael barged through the room, Leo hot on his heels. "Look, you stay away from me for awhile, just stay away, and I won't hurt you!!" Raph growled before going into the practice room and slamming the door shut. Leo stood, looking at it for a moment before throwing the door open and following Raphael inside. 

Mike and Don looked to each other again. "See?" Mike said, going back to his ice cream. 

*************

Raphael turned back, surprised, when the door opened and shut behind him again. He looked back to see Leonardo standing there, fuming. _Uh oh. _He thought to himself. _Maybe I pushed too far this time. I've really ticked him off… _He grinned at this thought. 

"You think this is funny?" Leo said from his spot by the door. He was angry now, angry enough to actually follow Raph from a fight. "You think this is a joke, is that it?" 

Raphael looked at his brother. His jaw was set, his eyes flashed with deadly seriousness. He'd never seen him so angry at him before. 

"Leo…" He began calmly. 

"No!" Leo cried out. "You listen to me, just once, listen to me. Hear me out." Leonardo shut his eyes, taking a few deep, calming breaths. Raphael stood by silently, arms crossed, giving him a moment. 

"I know you don't like this, Raph, I really do." Leo began, his voice less than calm. "Do you think I do? Do you honestly think that I like just sitting here, waiting, doing nothing?" He looked at Raphael. "I don't. But I also know, that to go out there, and look for them, not knowing how many of them there are, or what to expect, is stupid. We are out of practice and we have no idea what we're up against. Those don't show me too good of odds." 

"Leo, we'd be fine…" 

"You can't say that for sure, Raph." 

"You never can." Raphael challenged. 

Leo didn't answer. He just looked down, taking a few more deep breaths. "Just give me a little more time, Raph. Please." He said quietly. Raphael looked at him in shock. He'd never really _asked _him like that before. "Just a while longer…" Leo continued. 

Raphael looked to the side. "A bit longer, Leo." He agreed, looking back at Leonardo. "Just a little, and then, I'm going after them. You can't always tell me what to do." 

"Nor can I stop you." Leo said, and looked at Raphael. Raph was surprised to find his brother's eyes looking tired. "Look," Leo said, straightening up again, seeming to find more strength. "Go, cool off, and rest with the others. I expect you all back here in ten minutes. Let them know." He said briskly, then turned and walked over to the other side of the room, signaling that the conversation was over. 

Raphael stared after his brother for a moment, then turned and left the room. 

He went into the kitchen and plopped down next to Don. "This is ridiculous." He said, more to the table than to Mike or Don. 

"I agree." Don said. "But probably not in the same way you do." 

Raphael looked at his brother. "What are you talking…" He started, then stopped, as a pain went through his foot. "Ow!" He jumped up, then leaned down to look under the table. "Jeez, Lindy. That hurt, da-…"

"Hey!" Don broke in. "Don't say things like that in front of the baby." 

"Then keep a better watch on her." Raphael shot back. "Don't let her go around stabbing people like that. Punish her once in a while. Maybe she needs…" 

"Don't you take things out on her." Donatello said, as he felt anger bubble up inside of him. Raph usually didn't affect him like this, didn't get to him. But he'd had about enough of Raph's mouth for the day. "She could've learned it from you, you know. Maybe she's just had enough of your attitude today, and is as sick of it as we are." 

"Hey!" Raph stood, knocking his chair over. He grabbed Donatello by the shoulder and jerked him out of his chair. Mike rose, too, and grabbed Lindy, looking between the two. He bit his lip, worried. Donatello _never _stood up to Raphael like this, much less started it with him. He hoped Lindy didn't witness her father being maimed before her eyes. 

They stood eye to eye for a minute, just staring at each other, each breathing heavily. Raph's eyes flashed dangerously, but Don never broke his gaze. A door opened, and Mike turned, relieved, when Leonardo entered the room and looked at the scene. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked, walking partway into the room. 

Raphael broke his gaze first, looking over to Leo. "What's going on," Raphael growled, "Is that I'm done wasting my time for the day. You guys go play ninja. I'm outta here." With that, he walked out of the lair, leaving the rest of them speechless. 

Leo looked to Don, who was staring at the ground, breathing deeply, and Mike, who was holding Lindy. Leonardo questioned him with his eyes, and Mike shrugged, looking just as confused. 

Finally, Don looked up and sighed. "I'm sorry." He said. "I just… Tensions are running a bit high around here, if you haven't noticed, Leo, and I gave into it. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." He repeated, looking back down. 

"No," Leo sighed, walking up to them. "I know they are. And I haven't really helped, have I?" 

"Well, us getting mad at each other, then training with weapons isn't the _best _way to get rid of tension, but it sure does make it interesting." Mike said, grinning, trying to lighten the mood. 

Don cracked a grin at that. "Yeah. Interesting." He ran a hand over his head. "OK. Anyone up for a little bit more stress- therapy?" He joked feebly. 

"You guys go ahead. I'll be there in a second" Leo said. Mike and Don walked back to the practice room. Leo looked back at the door and sighed. He hoped Raph didn't do anything rash, like go looking for the Foot in his rage. _Please, _he silently prayed. _Just don't get yourself killed. _Then he turned and went into the training room, where Don and Mike were waiting. 


	9. Chapter 8 A Battle Of Wills

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. I do own Lindy. 

A/N - By the way, I don't know how everyone else's computers are, but mine doesn't show a second page for turtle fanfics. If I want to read them, I need to search by an author's name. This is just to say that I will not be taking this story down. If you can't see it, then look under my name for it. It will be updated. I plan on updating every few days, like I have been. 

This chapter takes place right after the last chapter, actually, later that night. What happens when you put Raphael alone with a willful eight month old…? Be afraid. Be very afraid…

Chapter 8 - A Battle Of Wills… 

Raphael stared glumly at the television screen. Leo had been ticked when he'd finally come home, he could tell, but had said nothing, which surprised him. While he'd been gone, he'd been delegated to babysitting duty by unanimous vote. They all went out to get supplies and he was stuck with an eight month old. He looked across the room at the playpen where he'd put her as soon as they'd left. She was staring back at him. 

"Oh no, kid. I don't do no tricks like your Uncle Mikey. So just turn that Bambi- gaze away from me." He said, then turned back to the TV. She sighed and sat back down, grabbing a toy. 

There. Raphael thought to himself. _That's it. Show her who's boss. You won't get all mushy around her like the rest of them. _

He could hear the sound of one of her favorite toys, something that made a different, awful noise every time she touched a different button. He turned up the TV. A few minutes later he growled softly. He could still hear it. It was there, right behind the sounds of the TV, annoying him. He got up and walked over to the playpen. She looked up at him, eyes wide, her face the picture of innocence. 

"What do you want?" He asked, then stopped. Not that she'd answer him. She sniffled. 

"Oh, no. Don't you go crying on me, now." He said. He didn't want to deal with a crying baby right now. "And I don't know when your dad's coming back, or your uncles, so you can just forget about crying about that." 

She sniffled again, and he sighed. 

"I have no idea what I'm doing. What are they thinking, leaving me in charge of her." He said to himself, then looked down at her as inspiration struck. "Are you hungry?" He asked her. "You want food? Uh, nummies?" He could imagine the lifetime of teasing he'd get if anyone ever heard him say that. Her eyes seemed to brighten at the word. _Great. _He thought to himself. _She's hungry. _

He lifted her up and swiftly carried her over to her highchair, strapping her in quickly. He then went up to the cupboards, looking for her baby food. _Look at all this crap they feed her. Steak and mashed potatoes in the same bottle. Ugh. _

He sighed, then picked a few things and carried them over to the table, pulling her chair over closer to him. He opened one of the bottles, then stopped. _A bottle. They always give her a bottle. _He stood back up, impressed that he'd remembered such a detail. _Maybe this won't be so ba-… _His thought cut off as he heard a crash. 

He looked over to find Lindy looking at him, her eyes wide, and a bottle of baby food broken on the ground. He'd left it in her reach when he'd gotten up. 

"Sh-…" He began, then stopped. He bit his lip, trying to calm himself. He concentrated on just cleaning up the mess, then went back over to the cupboard. He quickly picked out some purplish looking food and sat back down. He opened the bottles, careful to keep them out of her reach, and stuck a spoon in one. 

"OK, kid. Here we go." He brought it up to her face, but she kept her mouth shut. 

"What's the matter? Aren't you hungry?" He asked, then tried again. Her mouth stayed clamped shut. 

"OK, look, you gotta eat something. Your dad'll kill me if I don't feed you. Not to mention your uncles." He got no response, just the small quivering of her chin. 

"Oh, no." He said, trying to think of a solution to this quickly. "Here, look, it's good." He stuck a finger in the bottle then brought it to his lips. He coughed, almost choking. _Good Lord, that's the most awful thing I've ever tasted in my life. And I live in a sewer. _

He tried to keep a semblance of a smile on his face. "See?" He choked out. "It's good." She laughed, clearly delighted in his discomfort, and clapped her hands. He tried again with the spoon, and this time she happily accepted it. _I think she just put me through an initiation to be able to feed her. _He thought to himself, a little impressed. _Not bad for a baby. _

The rest of dinner went fairly smoothly, and Raphael soon got the hang of getting the food in her mouth. 

"Grabby little thing, ain'tcha?" He asked her, after prying her hands off of the spoon again. 

She made a face, suddenly, and he stopped. "You're not gonna cry, are you?" He looked at her warily. She sniffed, then smiled. He sighed, relieved. She made the face again, then suddenly sneezed, sending purple mush across her face, the table, and Raphael. 

He looked down at his plastron. "Cute." He said sarcastically, as he began wiping himself off. 

"Oot." She drawled. He looked up at her in shock. _Did she just… _

"Did you just say 'cute'?" He asked.

"Oot." She repeated, clapping her hands in delight. His mouth dropped open. 

"Y- You talked." He said in amazement. She looked at him with a 'well, duh' look on her face, as if wondering why he was getting so excited. 

"Oh, oh, Donnie's gonna flip." He said, running a hand over his head. "And I didn't catch it on camera." 

She stared at him patiently, as he paced beside the table, mumbling to himself. He stopped and looked at her. She held her arms out, ready to get out of the highchair. He took the hint and grabbed her, lifting her out. He held her out in front of him and looked at her. 

"You know, you're pretty smart, for a baby." He shook his head in amazement. "You were actually listening to me…" She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, laying her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. 

"Let's see what's on the tube." He said quickly, setting her down on the couch next to him. He flipped through a few channels, then looked over at her. She was staring at his face, her eyes wide, as if just noticing who was sitting next to her. 

"Yeah, I know, kid, you're used to watching TV with Uncle Mikey, supervised by your dad." He chuckled. "But they're not here right now. Neither is your Uncle Leo." She kept on staring. He sighed. "Look, kid, I know I don't spend a whole lotta time with you… It's not that I don't like you, or nothin' it's just…" He stopped, sighing again. "Why am I explaining myself to an eight month old?" He said to himself. 

She leaned over, playing with his kneepad, trying to tug it off. "Your Uncle Leo's pretty ticked at me." He said. "He's probably gonna yell later, after you're asleep." He didn't know why he was telling her this, just that she listened. "It's not like I_ try _and make him mad. Well, not all of the time." He grinned. 

Suddenly, the communicator next to him went off, and he reached for it. He opened it, and was surprised to find Donatello on the other end of it. They hadn't really spoken since he'd got back after their fight, but he wasn't worried. Don never held a grudge. 

"Hey." He sat up from where he'd been half sprawled. "What's up?" 

"We're gonna be a bit longer than we expected, Raph." Don's voice came through the communicator. "I'll send Mikey home ahead, so you…" 

"Why?" Raph stopped him in the middle of his sentence. Don's voice came through again, this time confused. 

"Well, I know you don't exactly_ enjoy…_" He started, but Raphael cut him off again. 

"Don't bother sending Mikey. We're good here. Besides," He added hastily. "By the time Mikey gets down here, you guys could be home. Don't worry. We're fine." 

"OK." Now Don's voice was more than surprised. "OK, well, thanks. And if you need anything…" 

"We're fine." Raphael said again, getting agitated. What was he, five? "We're havin' fun. See you when you get home." 

The communicator went off and Donatello turned towards his brothers. 

"What'd he say?" Michaelangelo asked, sitting on the brick wall of the alley they were in. 

Don closed the communicator. "He said they're fine." He said, as if in a trance. "Said they're having fun…" He looked at Mike and Leo, as if in shock. 

Raphael closed his communicator. "Jeez, Lindy, the way they act, you'd think I was the…" He stopped when he looked over at her, and saw that she had fallen asleep, her head on his leg. 

He sighed, shaking his head. "You really turned us upside down, you know that?" He said softly to the sleeping child. "You've messed us up more than you know." He grinned slightly, flipping through the channels again. 

"Good thing you're not that bad of a kid." She sighed in her sleep, then gave a small grin. He grinned back, then turned back to the TV. 


	10. Chapter 9 Boiling Point

Disclaimer: I will never own the TMNT. I do own Lindy. 

A/N - This takes place about two and a half months after the last chapter. Two and a half months… And you thought there was tension before… 

Chapter 9 - Boiling Point

"Hey guys!" April called, after knocking on the door to the lair. She didn't need them attacking her as soon as she entered the room. She'd learned that lesson after a few too-close-for-comfort experiences. "Guys?" She poked her head in. 

"No 'guys'." Michaelangelo walked in from the other room. She jumped. She hadn't even heard him coming, which was probably the point. "Just 'guy'." He continued. "I'm the only one home. Well, besides 'squirmy', here." He set down a wriggling Lindy, who'd been trying to free herself from his grasp. 

"Where is everyone?" April asked. She reached down as she felt two small arms wrap around her legs. She lifted Lindy and hugged her. "Hey, sweetie." She kissed her cheek. "How's my cutie?" 

"Un." Lindy replied, smiling. April looked to Mike questioningly. 

"She's going to be one." He replied. 

"In a month and a half!" April said, looking at Lindy, then back to Mike. "She knows that?" 

"Yeah." He smiled. "Well, she can say it, at least. I've been trying to teach her how to say 'presents', too. You know how no one can say no to her." He grinned mischievously. 

"Maybe 'gift' would be easier. Or 'gimme'." April grinned back. 

"Yeah…" Mike looked suddenly thoughtful. "I could use that." 

April set Lindy, who had become bored just standing there, down. "So where is everybody?" She asked again. 

"Oh, yeah." Mike shook his head, as if just remembering she was there. "Well, let's see: Donnie's out on a quick patrol. Um, Raphael stormed out of here about, oh, three hours ago, and Leo left about a half hour after he did. And that leaves me. And Lindy, of course." 

April sighed. "Did he leave after a fight?" She asked, referring to Raph. 

Michaelangelo looked thoughtful. "Hmm. I dunno." He looked back at her. "Which one are you talking about?" 

"More than one?" 

"Oh yeah. Let's see, there was one at one, one thirty, three, three fifteen…" 

"Another bad one?" 

Mike nodded. "Kinda. You know, it's been getting worse. They never really _fought _before. Not as often, at least. It was more of a friendly… jab once in a while. Now, it's been getting more into actual fight territory, more often." He looked away. "You know, Raph's getting antsy, wants to go after them; Leo's being cautious, wants us to stay… Same old, same old." The tone was joking, but the expression on his face wasn't. 

April nodded. 

"To be honest," Mike continued, "I actually want to agree with Raph sometimes… Go after them, just to get it over with. Maybe they'll stop fighting so much then." 

"Yeah." It was all April could think of to say. There was a few minutes of tense silence. "So," April said suddenly, and Mike looked up at her. "Have you guys planned anything for this party that's only a month and a half away?" 

"Paty!" Lindy broke in, smiling. 

April looked to Mike. He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I taught her that, too. I don't know if she knows what it means, but she likes to say it." 

April smiled. "Mikey, it's almost two months away. You keep getting her excited about this, by the time her birthday rolls around, she'll be bouncing off the walls." she said, smiling. 

"Oh, April, c'mon, she's having…" He stopped as the door came open. Don stepped through. 

"Da da!" Lindy raised her arms, beckoning him. 

"Hey, Angel." He grabbed her up easily and kissed the top of her head. "Hey guys." He smiled at Mike and April wearily. It was then she noticed the cut on his arm and shoulder. 

"Don…" She cried, walking towards him. "Are you OK?" She saw him glance at Mike for a second, then looked back at her. 

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm OK. Just a little scrape." He put Lindy down, then looked at Mike once more before looking at April again. "April, you mind watching Lindy for a moment while I clean myself up? Mikey, wanna help me?" He gave Mike another look, and he nodded. 

"Oh, yeah." Mike said. He turned back to April. "We'll be right back." He grinned at her, and then turned to follow Don into the bathroom. 

April sighed, knowing full well that Donatello could take care of those cuts himself. They just wanted to talk without her there. She looked down to Lindy, who was staring at the closed bathroom door, one hand gripping April's jeans, the other in her mouth. "Well, kiddo, looks like your daddy and uncle are having an impromptu meeting without us. Another one…" She broke off. "They'll be back soon, don't worry." 

She noted the small frown creasing the child's face. Lindy liked to be within sight of one of the turtles at all times; besides being at a stage where she was grabby and super attached to them, they were the only people she really knew. And April didn't see her nearly as much as she wanted to. 

"They're never going to tell us what's going on." April muttered. 

******************

"So?" Michaelangelo shut the door after he got into the bathroom. "What's up?" He hopped onto the sink. 

Don sighed, looking down. "I saw them." He said quietly. For a minute, Mike didn't know if he'd heard him right, he was talking so low. 

"What?" He asked again. 

"I saw them." Don's voice was louder this time, as he raised his head to look at Mike. "The Foot." 

"Jeez." Mike said. "Where?" 

Donatello began cleaning his wounds carefully. "They're about half a mile away." 

"That's really close." 

"Or really far, depending how you look at it." Don pointed to the medicine cabinet, and Michaelangelo handed him some disinfectant. 

"How'd you see them?" Mike asked, handing him some band aids. 

"I, uh… I practically ran into them." Don shook his head. "I don't know how I was so close to them, and didn't know. I must not have been paying attention." He muttered. 

"Did they see you?" Mike was wide-eyed. 

"No." Don shook his head. "I ducked back just in time." 

"So, then how did this happen?" He nodded towards Don's shoulder. 

"Oh." Don smiled, looking embarrassed. "I, uh… When I ducked back, I didn't realize there was a brick sticking out of the wall… I ran into it." 

Mike hung his head. "And you call yourself a ninja." He smiled. 

"Hey, I didn't get caught, did I?" Don shot back, smiling just as widely. For a moment, no one said a word. Then Don sighed again. "They seemed to be going the opposite way, though." 

"Well, good." Mike said. "Maybe they passed over us." 

Don nodded. "Yeah, but if they decide to backtrack… we're the only thing back here." 

Mike nodded, too. "We should tell Leo." 

"Yeah, I know. As soon as they both get back." Don said, then grinned, "That is, if we can all stay in one room together for more than thirty seconds…" 

"Yeah." Mike said, his smile fading. "You gonna tell April?" 

"Nope." Don said, then turned towards the door. 

Mike jumped off of the sink, then joined Donatello by the door. "Ready to be questioned? You know she's been trying to hear us." He grinned at his brother, then opened the door. 

April turned to the door as soon as it opened. Lindy crawled over to them as soon as she caught sight of them. 

"So," April said, crossing her arms. "What happened?" She nodded towards Don's arm. He gave Mike another look, and she sighed. 

Don stooped down to pick Lindy up, then turned to April. "I stopped a jewelry store robbery." He said simply, looking down quickly. 

She sighed again. He was lying. _I don't even want to know… _She decided. "OK, fine." She said out loud. "That's the story you want to give me? Fine." She glanced down at her watch. "Oh, darn, guys. I have to go." She looked back up at them. "I've got an evening meeting to go to, and…" 

"You mean a date?" Mike looked at her eagerly. 

"Let's just call it as meeting." She looked at him. "You tell me about your meetings, and I'll tell you about mine." She smiled sweetly at him. 

"Darn, she's good." Mike muttered. April turned towards the door. Don looked quickly at Mike, then walked forward, setting Lindy down next to Mike. He caught up to April before she reached the door. "Uh, hey, April. Let me walk you out?" 

She eyed him warily. "Why?" She turned back to Mike. "What's going on?" 

"Uh, nothing, nothing." Don put a hand on her back, leading her out the door. "Can't a guy walk a girl to her exit?" He said, then they disappeared out the door. 

Mike sighed, looking down at Lindy. "Your Auntie April can be really evil sometimes. Let's just hope your dad doesn't crack." 

Lindy simply patted his leg. 

**************************

"OK, what's going on?" Leonardo leaned back against the wall. He looked at Don and Mike. Don was standing behind the chair, leaning against the back of it, and Mike was sitting on the couch. Raphael perched on the back of the couch, a few feet away from Mike. 

"Well, I almost had a run-in with the Foot today." Don started. Raphael sat up, slightly. Leo looked at him. The look on his face was positively eager. 

"Almost." Don said, noting Raphael's reaction. "They didn't see me. They're getting further away." He continued. 

Raphael let out a breath, and Mike could hear him mutter a few words that he was sure glad that Leo didn't hear. Or Lindy. She repeated _everything _she heard now. 

"But they didn't follow you?" Leo asked. 

"No." Don answered. 

"OK," Leo continued. "So, what do you think, Donnie?" 

"Personally?" Don began. "I say we do nothing. Right now, they're going in the wrong direction, and they have no idea where we are. I say we keep doing what we've been doing." 

Mike glanced up at Raphael again. He was staring at Don. 

"You're not worried?" Raphael spoke suddenly. All eyes turned to him. That certainly wasn't what any of them had expected him to say. 

"If I were worried, I'd say so." Don said, looking at Raph oddly. 

"You didn't answer my question." Raph said, eyes still on Don. 

"No, Raph. I'm not worried." He said, not breaking Raph's gaze. "I don't think there's any reason to be." He looked down at his hands. "The pace they're moving, in addition to the fact that they've already passed us up… I don't see any immediate danger." 

"Alright, then it's settled." Leo said. "We'll just keep doing what we've been doing here, and…" 

"What do you mean 'it's settled'?" Raph jumped off the couch. "You didn't ask me, or Mikey." 

Michaelangelo cringed at the mention of his name. He was hoping not to get involved… 

Leo sighed, then turned to Raph. "Raph, it's the most logical…" 

"No, Leo. It's just what you wanted to hear." Raph snarled. "You ask Donnie? What, me and Mikey don't count?" 

Leonardo sighed, turning to Michaelangelo. "Mikey, do you think we should go out and look for trouble, possibly getting ourselves over our head, or do you think we should just keep doing what we've been doing, and stay safe?" 

Mike looked up. Both Leo and Raph were looking at him. Both had their arms crossed. Donatello was looking down at his hands. 

"Oh no." Mike shook his head. "I'm not getting into this one." He crossed his arms. 

"Ah." Raph growled in frustration. "For God's sake, Mikey, grow some backbone." He shook his head. 

"Just because he doesn't want to get involved in this childish…" 

"No one asked you, Donnie. So shut up." 

Leo put a hand to his head. They could not go on like this. The near-constant bickering was enough. The actual fighting was almost too much to bear. 

"Wait, just wait a minute." Leo put his hands up. They stopped fighting, and looked at him. "This is not what we came in here for." He continued. "We need to think about our options… Not fight." 

"I agree." Don added. 

"You'd agree with him if it meant jumping off a cliff." Raph grumbled. 

"I never said that." Don looked at Raph. "But I do think this fighting is getting ridiculous." 

"Yeah." Mike added softly. 

Leo sighed. 

"Fine." Raph growled. "So it's everybody against Raph now, is it?" 

"No, Raph." Leo said, trying to remain calm. "It's not. And it never has been. But maybe if you'd just…" 

"If I'd just what, Leo? Obey your every order? Hang on your every word? Sorry, I've got my own life. I can think my own thoughts, thanks, and just because you don't agree with them doesn't mean…" 

"Will you guys _please _stop!" Mikey cried out. He'd learned long ago not to get involved in one of Leo and Raph's fights, but he'd had just about enough. They all looked at him. 

"Y'wanna know what I think? Fine. I think we need to stop being so selfish and worry about what really matters. Not who's right or wrong. The only person that's wrong in this whole thing is the Foot." 

"And they're getting exactly what they want." Don added softly. "By making us fight. Tearing us apart. Breaking up the team." His voice was so low now, that Leo could hardly hear him. But he did, and it hurt. Not what he'd said, but because it was true. 

Leo groaned inwardly. How had he let it get this far? He should have been stopping the spats before they started, not adding to them. He wasn't leading them, he was condemning them. 

Raph looked down. He ran a hand over his head. He sighed heavily. "I don't want anyone thinking I'm giving in to you on this, Leo, 'cause I'm not…" 

"No one thinks that, Raph." Leo said. "No one. And I know that not everyone has the same idea of what we should or shouldn't do about this. But I think, I truly believe, that this is the best course of action, for all of us, in the long run." 

"You really believe that?" Raphael asked. 

"Yes." Leo said firmly. 

It was quiet for a long moment before Raphael nodded his head slowly. "I told you before," He said. "I ain't waitin' forever on this." He took a deep breath. "But you just bought yourself a little more time." He said quietly, looking away. 

Michaelangelo let out a breath he hadn't even realized that he'd been holding. 

"Thank you, Raph." Leo said and Raphael turned to look at him, a look of almost disbelief on his face. Then he just nodded, and left the room. 

Don watched him go, most likely to go to the practice room, and work off a bit of aggression. He'd been doing that a lot lately. 

"I'm going for a walk." Leo broke the silence, and walked past Don. 

Don grabbed his wrist. "Hey, you OK?" He asked him. 

Leo opened his mouth once to answer, then closed it. "I need to go for a walk." He said finally. He grabbed a katana and stuck it in his belt. 

"OK, uh, be careful." Mike called back to Leo as he left the room. Then he turned back and leaned against the couch. 

Don looked at him, and sighed. 

Mike shrugged. "Well, that went better than expected." 

Don just groaned, burying his face in his hands. 


	11. Chapter 10 Sweet Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. I do own Lindy. 

A/N - This takes place a few days after the last chapter. Enjoy! 

Chapter 10 - Sweet Dreams 

Leonardo kicked his opponent in the jaw, forcing his attacker to the ground, unconscious. His mind raced, as the adrenaline pumped through his body. 

One minute, there had been nothing, just the five of them, and the next… it had gone dark and they were surrounded. He could hear the sounds of weapons coming into contact with bone, and the cries of the intruders as they fell. 

He glanced up quickly, seeing Don fight off two attackers. Leo spun quickly, avoiding the attack from the assailant who'd tried to sneak up behind him. He stole another glance up and saw Michaelangelo. Mikey wasn't looking at the fight. He wasn't looking at the attacker who slipped nearer. 

He was distracted, Leo realized in a horrified moment. He opened his mouth to call out to him, but he was too late. Leonardo saw the blade imbed itself deeply into Michaelangelo, and then all Leo saw was blood, and his brother falling…

Leonardo sat up in bed, gasping for air. He looked around at his surroundings wildly. He was in his room. He flopped back down onto his pillows. It had been a dream. A nightmare. He hadn't had one of those since… Well, it had been almost two years. He glanced down at his hands. They were trembling. He looked down at his arms. He was covered in a cold sweat. He groaned, putting his hands onto his head. It had seemed so real. After a minute he slowly sat up, and swung his feet over to rest on the cold ground. He wouldn't be getting back to sleep tonight. 

He padded into the living room, walking quietly so as not to wake anyone else, and went to sit in the kitchen. He put his head into his hands. He let out a shuddering breath. It was so real, so lifelike. He couldn't get the image out of his head. 

"Leo..?" 

Leonardo spun around, surprised by the voice. He hadn't even heard him approach. 

"Leo, you OK?" Raphael spoke lowly, so as not to awaken anyone. 

Leo nodded quickly. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, Raph, I'm good, I'm… I'm fine." 

"You don't look fine." Raph sat down across from him, staring at him, studying his face intently. "What happened?" 

Leonardo sighed. "Nothing… It was… nothing." 

"'Nothing' doesn't just wake you up in the middle of the night. 'Nothing' doesn't make you pale and distracted." Raph went on. 

"OK, OK." Leo sighed. "It was a dream… A bad dream. A nightmare." He finally whispered. 

"A nightmare?" Raphael repeated, and Leo steeled himself for the ruthless teasing he knew would be coming. But Raph just whistled low and shook his head. "Musta been a doozy." He said quietly. 

Leo nodded, grateful that he hadn't asked him about it. "Yeah." He said. "A real doozy." 

Raph nodded slowly. "You OK?" He asked Leo.

"Yeah, I, uh… I will be." 

"OK. Good." Raph said simply, then got up from his chair and turned to leave the room. 

"Raph." Leo called softly, not loud enough to wake the others, but enough for Raphael to turn and look at him. 

"Thanks." He said. Raph looked at him for a moment, then nodded again. "Yeah." He said. "No problem, Leo." Then he was gone, back into his room. 

Leonardo sat back, sighing heavily. He put his arms on the table, resting his head on them. He hoped he would be fine, too. 

*******************

Don sat on the chair, dividing his time watching TV and looking at the clock. Mikey had gone out for pizza, and they were starved. He glanced over at the kitchen, and saw Leonardo, restlessly tapping his foot and fingers. He'd been doing that for almost ten minutes now, and it was beginning to annoy him. Leo was looking off into space, a distracted, far away look on his face. 

Don opened his mouth to say something, but right then, Michaelangelo burst through the door. Don looked away from Leonardo to look at Mike, a deflated look on his face. 

"Mikey." He hissed. "Quiet down, will you? I just got Lindy to sleep, and I don't want you…" He broke off as he heard a wail coming from the other room. He groaned, and turned to Mike, who had a sheepish look on his face. 

"Sorry, dude." He apologized, looking at Don. "But now we can all eat." He went into the kitchen and set the pizza down on the table. Leo jumped and looked at them, as if not noticing Mike's arrival. 

"Hey, wake up, Leo." Mike smiled. 

Leo looked up at him, and Michaelangelo could swear that he'd turned a little pale. 

Mike frowned slightly. "Hey, you OK, Leo?" 

"Yeah. Sorry." Leo mumbled. "Startled me is all." 

"Are you sure?" Mike prodded. "'Cause you look kinda…" 

"I'm good, Mikey, I'm just… tired is all." Leo stood up to leave, when Raphael walked in. 

"Jeez, Mikey. Will ya stop interrogating the poor guy?" Raphael walked up to stand by Michaelangelo. "I kinda woke him up last night, isn't that right?" Raph threw an arm around Mike's shoulder. 

Don, who'd stopped to watch this from Lindy's doorway, looked at Leo. He and Raph shared a glance, then Leo nodded slowly. "Yeah." He said, looking away from Mike. "Yeah, Raph kept me up last night." 

Mike shrugged. "OK. Whatever." He opened the pizza box and breathed in deeply. "I love the smell of fresh baked pizza." He dug in, seemingly forgetting about the conversation. 

But Don didn't. He looked at Leo, and then Raph. They seemed to be sharing a silent conversation with their eyes. Leo shrugged, then looked down, shoulders drooping. 

Don walked slowly into the room, Lindy in his arms. He walked up to the table. 

"What's going on?" He asked.

Michaelangelo looked up from his pizza.

Leo glanced slightly at Mike, then looked away quickly. "Nothing." He mumbled. 

Don opened his mouth again, but Raph cut him off. "You know, this 'interrogation room' atmosphere in this place is gettin' old. I'm goin' for a walk." 

"A walk sounds good." Leo stood and hurriedly followed him out the door. 

Don looked at the door after they'd left. "Something's going on."

"You're telling me." Mike said, from his place at the table. "All this pizza, and we don't have to fight anybody for it." 

"No, that's not what I meant." Don sighed, placing Lindy in her highchair. "They're hiding something from us…" 

**********************

Leo stopped walking through the tunnels and slumped against the wall. Raphael walked up to him. 

Leo sighed as he approached. "Thanks Raph." He said. 

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Raph walked up, leaning against the wall beside him. "I've never seen you so… not like _you _before."

"I just can't get past it." Leo said. "I know I should be able to, but I can't." He closed his eyes. "I can't even look at Mikey in the face anymore." 

"I noticed." Raph said, then shook his head. "But, Leo, it was only a dream. You know that." 

"I know." Leo sighed. "But it seemed so real." 

"Realistic or not, it was still just a dream. Nothing happened, everyone's OK…"

"It was my fault." Leo whispered, so low that Raphael didn't even hear him. 

"What?" 

"In the dream. I couldn't stop Mikey from getting hurt. I opened my mouth to, but nothing came out. I… I panicked." He looked away from Raphael's glare. "I was responsible for it… I… you wouldn't understand."

"Why wouldn't I?" Raph asked. 

Leo let out a shaky breath. "Because it's… it's…. I don't want to be responsible for another family member's death." 

****************

"There is something going on here." Don said, sitting down across from Mike. 

Mike shrugged. "So? What else is new?" He took a bite of pizza, chewing it thoughtfully. "You're getting paranoid, Donnie. What makes you think they're hiding something from us?" 

"You mean besides the hidden glances and Raph covering for Leo? How about the fact that they haven't so much as made one sarcastic comment to each other all day?" 

Mike thought about that for a moment. "OK, you're right. They are definitely up to something…" 

"I know." Don sighed heavily. "I hope they're not going out there to… you know, go find them." 

"The Foot?" Mike's eyes widened. "Don, unless Leo's been taken over by an alien life form, he would never…" 

"He was acting nervous, Mike." Don glanced at the door. "I just wish I knew what they were doing." 

"Donnie, if it were that important, you know they'd tell us. They probably want to go for another round before supper." Mike sat up, a smile forming. "Maybe they called a truce." 

Don looked at the door again. "Yeah, you're right, Mikey. They probably went for another look around…"

*****************

"Leo, that was not your fault." Raph said, astonished. 

"It might as well have been!" Leo shook his head. "There had to be something more. Something else I could've said or done to make it turn out differently. Just like in the dream." 

"Leo, that was just a stupid dream, and you know it." Raph said. "You have never done anything during a fight, _ever, _to jeopardize any one of us." He looked down. "You've been nothing but perfect." He mumbled. "Just like you always strive for." 

Leo looked up. "I'm not perfect." He said simply. 

"Well, close enough." Raph shook his head. "You know there was nothing any of us could've done. You _know _that. Don't you think each of us has questioned that a million times?"

Leo looked away. 

Raph continued. "It always comes down to one person. One person's fault. And you know who that was."

"Shredder." Leo spit out the name. 

Raph nodded. "Right. And he got his." After a moment of silence, Raph grinned. "Now, all this heavy talk aside, d'you think this has been a long enough walk? I'm starving." That was his way of getting out of a heavy conversation, and Leo knew it. 

Leo smiled. "Yeah." He said, pushing off the wall. "Let's hope there's some left." They began walking down the sewers, heading back to the lair. 

"You better?" Raph looked at Leo seriously for a moment as they walked. 

Leo nodded slowly. "I will be." 

"Good." Raph got a mischievous look on his face. "Then you won't be too upset when I leave you in my dust." He said, then took off. "Just like when we were little." He called back over his shoulder. 

Leo loped forward, feeling suddenly youthful again, and caught up to Raph easily. "Hmmm." He said, jogging beside him. "Do you _remember _when we were little?" He shook his head. "See you at home." He sped up, leaving Raph behind. 

Raph narrowed his eyes. "Always gotta be in first place, huh?" His eyes lit up at the thought of competition. Then he began to run faster, catching up to Leo. 

He looked over at his brother as they ran. He knew this wasn't over. He knew his brother was still troubled. Leo was overcompensating, trying to make Raph think he was back to normal. But he gave up too easily, he was distracted. He just wasn't acting like _Leo_. Raph sighed. For once, he actually missed the old Leo. He took a glance at his brother again. But not enough to let him win this race. 

They both ran, burning off the extra stress and aggression they felt, heading back to the lair. 

Neither noticed the figure in the shadows. Neither noticed when he turned and ran in the opposite direction; but not before bringing his knife up to the wall and carving a small symbol into it, circling it. 


	12. Chapter 11 Lights, Camera, Action!

Disclaimer - I don't now, nor will I ever own the TMNT. But I do own Lindy. 

A/N - Sorry for not updating in awhile. I was having trouble uploading my chapters. 

This takes place two days after the last chapter. 

Chapter 11 - Lights, Camera, Action!

Donatello sat on the couch, the television blaring in front of him. But he wasn't watching that. He was watching Leonardo pace around the room. 

"Where is he?" Leo said, walking behind the couch. 

Don sighed. "Leo, he went up to April's to get the groceries. You know Mikey. He's probably talking her ear off." 

He leaned back against the couch. For the past two days, all Leo had done was make them practice, and worry. About what, he didn't know. It was obviously whatever he and Raph had talked about. Don looked down at Lindy, who was sitting on the couch next to him, and watching her Uncle Leo pace. 

"He shouldn't be taking this long." Leo said. 

Don looked at the door. He sighed. He actually wished for Raph to come out of the dojo, where he was practicing. 

They both jumped as a loud bang came from outside the door, like something had been thrown against it. 

Even Raph poked his head out of the dojo. Don looked at Leo, who'd already taken out his katanas. Don stood, and inched behind the couch, ready for whatever came through the door. Leo cautiously walked up to the door and threw it open. 

"Whoa, thanks, dude." Mikey said from the sewer. He stepped into the room. "I couldn't get the door open with all this stuff." 

Don groaned and leaned against the back of the couch. He was getting just as paranoid as Leo. He stood back up, and walked over to Michaelangelo. 

"Hey, I'll help you put this stuff away, OK?"

Michaelangelo nodded. 

Don set Lindy down, then grabbed a bag. 

Raph turned to Leo. "Hey, Leo, y'mind gettin' the door?" 

"Sure." Leo sheathed his katanas and walked up to the door. He shut it softly. He only got about two steps away before the door was thrown open with enough force to break one of the hinges. 

Suddenly, everything was in slow motion. A figure came into the room, followed by a swarm of others. 

Don handed Lindy off to Mike. "Here." He said, shoving her into his arms. "Get her safe." He turned, ready to go help Leonardo, who'd been closest to the door. He got four strides over before he was attacked by an assailant wielding nunchuks. His eyes widened in surprise. It was the Foot. 

Suddenly, it all went dark as something hit the light bulb over the couch. And time sped up. 

Raphael had come into the fray, gladly giving the imposters what they deserved. Mike jumped over, across the kitchen, setting Lindy down in an open cabinet, partly closing the door. He pulled the light over the table on as he ran past, to help his brothers. 

Leo hardly had time to think, hardly had time to react. They were good, he realized. Better than they ever were before. He spun, avoiding the blades of one Foot member's sword. He looked up to find his brothers. 

He could make out Raphael, fighting off two Foot members. Then Don, also fighting two. Leo had to duck out of the way of another attempted attack on himself. 

Raph grunted as something hit his shell, knocking him forward. These were Foot ninjas, all right. But they'd improved. And with Shredder gone, they'd become less ninja, and more dirty fighters. He grinned. He could deal with that. 

Donatello swung his bow as he avoided the attacks that were coming his way. The light from the kitchen was the only light they had, and he could barely make out the figures coming his way. He swung, hitting one in the arm, and winced when he could hear the sound that was unmistakably bone breaking. Two more Foot jumped in to take their fallen member's place. 

Mike spun his nunchuks around, fighting off his own assailant. He stayed close to the kitchen, making sure no one got past the table. As he disposed of one Foot, another caught his eye. He jumped after him, leaving the light of the overhead lamp, and attacking in semi-darkness. As he hit the Foot in the head, knocking him out cold, he turned, suddenly, as he could hear a distressed wail coming from the kitchen. _Lindy… _He thought suddenly. 

Leo fought off another attacker, then looked up for another quick head count. _Raph… Don… Mikey?! _He swung under the sword of another attempted attack, then gave the attacker a quick punch in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Where was Michaelangelo? Finally, he caught sight of his brother, looking towards the kitchen. _Oh no. Oh God, no. _He thought as he saw a movement in the darkness behind Michaelangelo. A glint of something metal caught his eye. _My dream. It's just like in my dream! _

The thought panicked him, as he looked to catch his brother's attention, while fighting off his own attacker, who'd recovered and was coming at him again at full force. Leo gave him a swift kick to the head, and turned, opening his mouth to warn him… And nothing came out. He opened his mouth to try again, but a Foot member used this moment of distraction to wrap an arm around his neck, holding him in a headlock, and effectively cutting off his words.

Don looked at his brothers, then caught Leo being held in a headlock. His brother's eyes were wide, but not for fear of himself. Don followed his brother's gaze to Michaelangelo. He seemed to be alone. He glanced back at Leonardo. 

"Mike." Leo mouthed. "Foot." 

Don spun, catching the movement that was now right behind his brother. He hit his own opponent in the jaw, then turned, jumping on the couch. He jumped on the back, then suddenly felt his foot slip off the material. _Oh no. _If he fell, there'd be no time to get to his brother. In that split second, he used his momentum of falling to push off the back of the couch, pushing it backwards into another opponent, and launching himself into the darkness. 

Mike turned, and saw Donatello lose his balance, then push off the back of the couch. His brother flew directly at him. 

Donatello crashed into Mikey, and pushed him away, just as his would-be attacker was about to strike. The blade of the Foot member missed it's mark, and simply scraped down Mike's arm, causing a small cut. 

Both turtles crashed to the ground, and Leo gasped in relief, then distangled himself from his attacker, and knocked him unconscious. He braced himself for another attack, but none came. It was finished. Leo let his arms relax, and, breathing hard, hurried over to his brothers, who were still lying on the ground. 

Raphael called out in the darkness. "Hey, I've got a live one, here." He came out of the shadows with a Foot member trapped in his arms. Raphael's hold on him made it impossible for him to escape. 

Mike groaned as he sat up. The force of Donatello knocking into him had made him stumble, and he'd hit his head on the floor. He pushed himself up, then winced as he felt a pain in his arm. He looked down and saw that he was bleeding. 

Leonardo came rushing at them. "Mike, are you…?" His eyes grew wide at the sight of the blood. "Oh God…" He whispered. 

"Hey, no prob, bro." Mike smiled. "It's just a scratch. See?" He held his arm up to the light, and Leo looked down at it. He let out a breath that he'd been holding and smiled. It looked worse than it actually was. It was only a small cut. They both turned as Don groaned from the ground. Mike moved to let him sit up. Don began to, but stopped suddenly, and let out a sharp breath. 

He gingerly touched his leg. "My leg." He whispered. 

Leo looked at Mike, and they both leaned in closer to him. 

"My leg… it's… it's broken." 

Leo's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" 

Don let out another sharp breath. He nodded slowly. "Oh yeah." He said, then winced as he tried to shift his body to make himself more comfortable. 

"Everything OK over there?" Raph yelled from where he was still holding the captured Foot member. 

"Give me a second, Raph." Leo called back over. "Don's leg is broken." 

Raph grunted back in response, then held onto the ninja in his arms tighter. He would _not _escape. 

Leo kneeled down beside Don.   


"Donnie, can you move at all?" 

Don shook his head. "The leg's still beneath me."

Leo looked down. "OK, Don, we have to get you to the couch." He sighed. "We'll lift you up. You ready?" 

Don nodded, bracing himself against the pain he knew would be coming shortly. Leo grabbed his brother's hand. "OK now, here we go." They swiftly, smoothly, lifted Donatello off the ground. They did it as gently as they possibly could, but Leo still heard a sharp breath escape his brother, and felt Don's grip on his hand tighten. He knew it was taking all he had not to scream out from the pain. 

Leo stood Don up, and wrapped Don's arm around his shoulder. 

"Mike." Don said weakly, the pain from the break stealing his breath away. "Where's Lindy?" Don's eyes opened wide. "Where… where is she?" 

Mike turned towards the kitchen. "She's OK, dude. I made sure of that. I'll get her." 

Leo walked Don over to the couch and gently set him down there. Then he turned to Raphael and his captured Foot soldier. 

He walked up to them. "What do you want?" He hissed, bringing his face close to the Foot's. When he didn't answer, Leo stepped closer, their faces now almost touching. "What is it?" He ripped the mask off of their captured assailant. To Leo's surprise, he was smiling. 

"This was only the beginning." The young man's words drawled out, and the smile turned fiercer. 

"How did you find us?" Leo asked. When he got no answer, Raph tightened his grip, making the man gasp. 

"We never would have…" The Foot member began. "We were headed the wrong way… Until we saw two of you, about a quarter mile from here."

The though made Leo inwardly groan. He and Raph… But he turned back to the man, frowning fiercely. "But how did you know we were here?" 

The man's smile grew wider. "You should tell your freak brother not to hum so loud with his walkman." 

Leo and Raph both looked to Mike, who was standing there with a look of complete horror on his face. 

"I…" Mike began, but was cut off as the man laughed. 

"Great ninja's." He laughed. "It seems while we flourished without our master, you have fallen, weak and distracted." He then used this moment to break Raphael's hold on him and grab a sai. "But be sure," He growled. "We will avenge our master." He used the sai to carve a symbol on his own arm. "We have marked you, just like this sai has marked me." The man then threw a smoke bomb into the middle of the room. When all was cleared, they were all gone. 

All four turtles looked at each other. 

Raphael was the first to speak. "Leo, I… I didn't…" 

"I know." Leo sighed. "What was that?" 

"It seems, without Shredder to… lead them, as it were, they have become unstable." Don said from the couch. 

"Like they weren't before." Raphael muttered. 

"But now, they're… like they don't care. They're insane." Don breathed. 

"We need to get out of here." Leo said. "We'll go up to April's, then come back for some things." He turned to Don. "Think you can make it out of the sewers?" 

"I'll have to." Don replied. 

"OK, Raph and I will get Don out. Mike, you grab Lindy." 

Mike, who hadn't said anything up until now nodded. He looked away. 

"Mikey?" Leo asked, looking at his brother. 

"I'm sorry." Mike whispered, his eyes shiny with tears. 

"Come on, Mikey." Raph said. "It's OK. Look, we'll talk about this at April's." 

"This would have never happened if it wasn't for me." Mike shook his head. He walked up to the couch and kneeled beside Donatello. "I'm sorry." He whispered again, looking at his brother. 

"Mikey." Don said. "It's OK. I fell, it wasn't you…" 

"No, if I'd been paying attention , none of this would have happened. In the sewers and during the fight." He lowered his face to look at the ground. 

"I think we're all to blame for that." Leo said softly. "They must have seen me and Raph a few days ago…" 

"And I know I'm not totally innocent." Don said from the couch. "I'm sure I've made my fair share of noise out there." He shook his head. "We just thought we were finally safe." 

Raph walked up to Mike and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Mike, this guilty look just don't suit you. Now look, no one's mad at you, so let's just go up to April's and get outta here." 

Mike looked to the others. They all nodded. 

"Besides, I need to get this leg set, and you'll definitely need to help me with that, Mike." Don said, smiling, though his eyes held pain. 

Leo nodded. "And it's not like this is the first time we've had to move. Or the last." He added quietly. "This wasn't just one person's fault." He glanced to Raph as he said this. 

"Are we ready?" He continued, looking to the rest of them. "We should get out, in case there're more of them." 

They all nodded. 

"I sure hope April's home." Raphael said as they walked out of the sewers, Donatello held up between himself and Leo. 

"Me too." Leo said, and Donatello nodded. "I'd hate to break her window." Leo said, then added. "Again." 

They all chuckled nervously, making their way through the sewers. They stopped as they came to the manhole they were looking for. Getting Donatello through it was harder than they thought, but they managed, and made their way to April's apartment. Leo knocked on her window, and they could hear footsteps coming up to it. It slid open and April poked her head out. She gasped at the sight of them. 

"Oh my God!" She gasped. 

"Hey April." Leo smiled wearily at her. "Mind if we come in?" 


	13. Chapter 12 Aftershock

Disclaimer - I don't own the TMNT, or April for that matter. I do own Lindy, though.

A/N - OK, guys, I'm leaving to go on vacation this week, so the story won't be updated for about two weeks. It'll be driving me nuts, but I won't be near a computer, so that makes it impossible. Not to worry, though! By the time I get back, I'll probably have tons of ideas, so updates should come shortly. See you guys in a few! 

Chapter 12 - Aftershock

"What happened to you guys?" April moved out of the window to let them through. 

"We were attacked." Leonardo came through first, then reached back out to help Donatello through. 

"By who?!" She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh no…" 

"Yeah." Leo said simply. Don came through the window, grimacing. 

"Are you guys OK?" April asked, standing there, wringing her hands helplessly. She hated this part. The not knowing if they were OK. Not knowing how to help them. 

Michaelangelo came through with Lindy, followed by Raphael, who moved to help Leo with Don. They gently set him on the couch. 

"You doing OK, Donnie?" Leo asked as he heard a small groan escape his brother. 

"OK." Don tried for a small smile. 

"What's wrong?" April asked. "How did they find you?" She could see Michaelangelo lower his head to look at the ground, and Leo looked at him for a second before answering. 

Leo shook his head. "Never mind that. Don's leg's broken. Do you have anything we can use?" 

April shook her head. "Not on me. But there is a medical store down the street." 

"Can you?" Leo asked her. 

"Sure." She sighed. She looked at the rest of them. "Is there anything else?" 

"Um…" Leo looked at the rest of them, his eyes coming to a stop on Raph. "Maybe a few diapers and some baby food. I don't think we should go back there tonight. 

Raph let out a small sigh. "Leo…" 

"Raph, _please_!" Leo said, exasperated. 

Raph's mouth turned into a snarl. "I was gonna say maybe one of us should go with April and help her get the stuff. Is _that _OK with you?" 

It was Leo's turn to sigh. "Raph, I…" He began, but then stopped. "Yeah, OK. You want to go?" 

"I do now." Raph said. 

"You guys." Don interrupted from the couch, making them all look over at him. "I need to get this leg set, and the longer you guys take…" 

Leo nodded. "OK." He turned back to Raph and April. "You guys go. And hurry, please?" 

April nodded, her purse already in her hands. "OK. Let's go, Raph." 

Raph nodded, then left with her, shooting Leo a nasty glance on his way out. 

After the door shut, Leo sank into the chair with a sigh. 

"This just isn't working." He whispered. 

"What?" Don asked. 

Leo shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind, I… I was just thinking out loud." 

Don glanced to Mike, who continued to look at the ground. "Hey, Mikey." He said lightly. "Make yourself useful, will you, and grab me some pillows?" His tone was light, and he hoped it would bring Mike out of his mood. 

"Sure." Mike said quietly, then headed for April's bathroom closet. 

"Leo." Don said as soon as Mike was out of the room. 

Leo lifted his head in response, looking at Don. 

"Are you OK?" Donatello asked. Leo smiled, then chuckled quietly. 

"I should be asking you that." He said, looking down at his hands. "Seeing as how I got off pretty easy. Just a couple of bruises." 

"But I asked about you." 

Leo looked back up at his brother. "I was just thinking how it could've been worse." He began, then stopped. He looked at the hallway, then back at Donatello. "It could have been a lot worse." 

Don nodded. "I know." He said, then winced. "I hope they hurry. Should've told them to bring something for the pain." He mumbled, gritting his teeth. 

They both looked up as Mike came back, a few pillows in his hand. "You guys should see the stuff she's got in there. You wouldn't believe it!" 

He was trying to sound lighthearted, Don realized. And it wasn't working. Mikey was still troubled by the events of the evening, and trying to hide it. 

"Mikey…" Don breathed. "Did you look in the mirror when you were in there?" He asked, and Leo looked up at Mike. 

"No. Why?" Mike frowned. He looked down at his plastron and legs. "I don't see anything." 

Leo eyes widened when Mike looked down and he could see what Don did. 

"Mikey," Don began. "You have got a goose-egg on your head the size of a golf ball." 

"Really?!" Mike said wide eyed. He reached around and touched the back of his head. "Ow!" He said when he found the spot. 

Don laughed quietly. "Sorry." He said, looking at Mike. "Guess I pushed you harder than I thought." 

"Pushed me?" Mike said. "Barreled straight into me is more like it." He rubbed his forehead. "I'll be seeing you jumping straight for me in my nightmares." 

They all laughed, and a little of the tension left the room. 

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Mike asked Don. 

Don shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm good for now." He looked at Mike, cocking his head. "You'd better go get some ice for your head. And some aspirin." 

Mike nodded. "Good idea." Then he left to go into the kitchen. 

Lindy sat up from where she'd dozed off on the floor. She looked at Don and Leo, then let out a wail. She crawled over to the couch, and was about to lift herself up, when Leo stepped over and grabbed her up. 

"Sorry, Lind, not now." He said, and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Her lower lip trembled, and Leo smiled. "Don't give me that look." He looked down at Lindy. "Do you think April's got anything we can give Lindy?" He said to Don, then looked up at his brother. Don's eyes were closed, his mouth in a frown. "Don?" Leo stood, concerned. 

Don's eyes opened, and he seemed to focus again. "I think… I think that April keeps a bit of 'emergency' food here, just in case. It should be in the kitchen." He said softly. 

"Are you OK?" Leo asked, a frown on his face. 

"I… Yeah." Don said, trying to shift his body a bit more. "The adrenaline's wearing off now, and I'm really beginning to feel it." 

Leo nodded. "OK, I'm sure they'll be back soon." He said, then took Lindy into the kitchen, looking for food. 

****************

"OK." April walked out of the store, carrying bags in her hands and around her shoulders. "I think that's everything." She turned the corner, nearly walking into Raphael, who was picking at a cut on his arm. 

"Jeez." She breathed, then recovered, shoving a few bags in his arms. They began their walk back to her apartment in silence. 

"Alright." April broke the silence. "What happened? The rest of them don't want to talk, and you're being too quiet. What's up?" 

"We're just tired is all, April." Raph said, looking straight ahead, and avoiding her questioning gaze. "Look, we'll talk about it after we get everyone fixed up."

"But I…" She began. 

"Afterwe fix them up." 

That seemed to do the trick, and they spent the rest of the walk home in silence. 

*****************

As soon as April and Raph got back home, they set about tending to their wounds; setting Don's leg and fixing up their various bruises, cuts and scrapes. 

They had a meeting in the living room, after Lindy had been put to bed. Donatello had wanted to attend, despite the other's protests, so they gathered around the couch, in various places from the chairs and floor. 

"What do you think, Leo?" Don asked from his place on the couch. 

"I think we need to definitely adjust our thinking around the Foot, now." 

Mike nodded. "Yeah, they were weird tonight, man. Like, not themselves." 

"I agree. Their behavior was sporadic, at best, and they had no identifying fighting characteristics." Don added. "What that guy did at the end there? That was spooky." 

April looked between them, growing more and more confused. 

"The Foot, they're… back? Like, full force back?" She asked, but no one seemed to hear her question. 

"I say we go after them while they're a little tired, too. I wanna pay them back for what they did to Donnie…" Raph growled. 

Leo sighed. "Raph, what they did to Donnie is the big reason we _shouldn't _go after them. We're one person down, and I don't know about the rest of you, but they were pretty tough to handle." He looked to the others. "Did anybody get a count?" 

"Six." Don said. 

"Six?" Leo's shoulders slumped. "Just six?! There seemed to be so many more…" 

Don nodded. "I know." He said. "But that's how many there were." 

"You're sure?" 

"Yeah." Don sighed. "I'm sure. If any more, maybe eight. But no more than that." 

"I saw the same two guys the whole time." Mike said. "Six is probably about right." 

Leo groaned and sat back in the chair. 

It was silent until April broke in. "What happened?!" She cried. They all looked at her, shocked. 

"I'm sorry." She said, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry. I just… I love you guys, you know that. But it's so… frustrating when you come in hurt and wounded, and don't let me know what's going on." She sat down on the edge of the couch. "I know, it's none of my business…" 

"No, April." Don put a hand on her arm, then looked at his brothers. "We have been using you, haven't we?" He whispered, looking back at her. 

"No." She shook her head. "It's not about that. You don't, you know, use me. I just… worry. About you guys." 

Leo looked down. "This wasn't a good idea." He said. 

"What wasn't?" April asked. 

He looked away from her. "Coming here. Bringing you into this. We shouldn't have done this to you." He looked down. "We won't do it again." 

"What are you talking about?" She cried. "I want you guys to come here. I like helping you, I just don't like not knowing what's going on." 

"And we can't tell you everything that goes on." 

"I don't want you to tell me everything…" 

"I think this was a mistake…" Leo retorted. It only seemed to fuel the fire. 

"A mistake…?!" April rose, but Don tightened his grip on her wrist. 

"Wait." Don said. "We need to stop this. Now." He said firmly. "Everyone's tired. It's been a long and trying day. We are frustrated and angry and we shouldn't take it out on each other." He turned to April. 

"April. We couldn't do half of what we do without you. You've pulled us out of too many binds for me to count. You mean too much to us, and we worry sometimes about that." 

She smiled. "I'm sorry, guys, Leo." She shook her head. "It's just been a long day for me, too." She sighed. 

"I'll tell you what." Don said. "Why don't we get a good night's sleep, then we'll tell you what we can in the morning." He looked at Leo, who nodded slightly. "I don't know about the rest of you," He continued. "But _I'm _still a little confused." 

Raph nodded. "Yeah, it, uh, happened kinda fast." 

"Yeah." Mike nodded. "But a little shut-eye sounds good to me. 'Night guys, April." He turned and left to go to the other room. 

"Mikey's got the right idea." Raph yawned, stretching, then stopped "Who would've thought I'd ever say that?" He grinned, then headed off in the same direction as Mike. 

Silence ruled the room for a few minutes, until April stood. 

"I'm going to get some sleep, too." She walked over to where Leo sat in the chair. "I'm sorry, Leo." She whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Don watched as Leo's shoulder's drooped for a moment before he turned to look up at April. 

"No. Don't be." He said. "I'm sorry, April. Like Donnie said…" 

April nodded. "No problem." She smiled. "I think I'll call off work tomorrow." She said suddenly. 

"You don't need to…" Leo protested. 

"I know." She stretched. "But I want to. I just need to take a day off. Then the three of you can get some of your stuff back, and Donnie can help me out around here." 

Don smiled. "Almost makes me wish I could go with you and possibly face the Foot." 

Leo grinned as April protested. 

"I'm going to bed." She said, trying to hide her grin. "Good night, guys." 

"'Night." They chorused, watching her leave. 

"Well, I think I'll head off to bed, too." Leo said. "Need anything?" He asked Don. 

"Nope." Don said, then watched as Leo began walking away. "Leo?" He called, making his brother stop. 

"Yeah?" Leo turned, then walked a few steps back into the room. 

Don swallowed, then began talking. "What did you mean when you said 'this isn't working'?" He asked, then continued. "Do you really regret coming to April for help? Because I think this has been really beneficial…" 

"I regret a lot of things." Leo said wearily, speaking so low, Donatello wasn't sure he was meant to hear it. 

"Leo…" 

"We both need our sleep." Leo interrupted. "I'm going to go to bed."

"OK." Don said, knowing his brother wouldn't talk anymore about it. "Good night." 

"Good night." 

Don watched his brother walk away and into another room. He sighed. Somehow he felt this was only the beginning. 


	14. Chapter 13 Doing What You Have To

Disclaimer - Nope, still not mine. Except for Lindy.

A/N - Sorry for such a delay in updates. There was something I just couldn't get around in this chapter, so I did the only logical thing I could think of: erased the whole thing and started over! It may have taken longer, but I'm _much _happier with the way it is now. The erased section will be in a later chapter. 

Thanks to all those who wished me a happy vacation. It was great, thanks. And I got to see some real live sea turtles! (Which was a big deal for me.) When I get the pictures developed (hopefully they turn out), and my scanner gets fixed, I'm hoping to put the pics up on my new website, which you can find the address to in my profile here. Come and visit me! I'd love to hear from you all! OK now, on with the story! Enjoy! 

Chapter 13 - Doing What You Have To

April stood, washing the morning's breakfast dishes. The mood at the meal had been tense, at best. Forced cheerfulness and non-committal answers ruled the kitchen. 

*Thump*

April started as she heard the noise from the other room. It was followed closely by a *Clunk*. She sighed, putting the towel down, and poked her head into the living room. 

"What are you doing?" At her words, Donatello froze, leaning heavily against his bo. 

"Where are you going?" She demanded, walking up to him and slipping under his arm, in an attempt to help support him. "You know that you're not supposed to be up and about yet! Just where is it you're trying to get to?" 

He ducked his head. "Uh, the uh… bathroom." He muttered. 

"Oh." She replied, caught off guard by his answer. "Well, here." She recovered. "I'll help you walk." 

They stumbled along a few more steps in silence before April began talking again. 

"You know, I usually have to drag Mikey out of bed. Have you seen the time?"

Don shook his head. "They left already?" He asked, but it wasn't really a question. 

April nodded. "Yeah." He simply nodded, and they walked in silence again until they reached the bathroom door. 

"OK," April began, as Don hobbled away, leaning on furniture for support. She winced when he almost fell, and walked forward. "Are you sure you don't need any help…?" She paled as she realized what she just said. She looked at Don, her eyes wide in horror. 

He was red in the face. "No," He began, the first to speak. "I, uh, I think I can handle it… uh, everything, OK." 

He disappeared into the bathroom, and she groaned. _Nice one, April. _She thought to herself. She went into the kitchen and poured two cups of tea, carrying them into the living room. She had just set the cups down when Don made his way back over to the couch. He sat down, carefully, and reached for a cup, stifling a groan. 

"So." She sat down on the chair next to the couch. "Everything go OK?" She said, hiding her smile with her cup. He choked, almost spraying the table with his drink. 

He recovered enough to nod briskly, turning red again. "The guys left a while ago?" He asked, trying to change the subject. 

"Yeah." April nodded. "A few hours ago." 

Don glanced at the clock. "I can't believe I slept so long." He stretched, groaning. 

"You needed it." April replied. 

"Is Lindy taking a nap?" 

April nodded. "Yeah. She got up with the guys. Leo fed her." 

Don nodded. "Good." He took another drink, then continued. "She likes Leo. Has some kinda fascination with him… I must admit, it does worry me sometimes." He smiled. 

She laughed quietly at that, then looked down at her hands, growing suddenly somber again. She wasn't sure if she should, but maybe she could get something out of him…

"Don…" 

He sighed. "April, I can't tell you everything. I want to wait and talk to Leo." 

She nodded, defeated. "I know." She whispered, and silence filled the room once more. 

"So." He said suddenly, breaking the silence a few minute later. "How's your, uh, photography class going?" 

"Oh, good." She said, surprised at his question, but glad for the break in tense conversation. "It's been really interesting, and I've met so many new people." He raised his brow at that, and she laughed, swatting at him playfully. "Of course," She continued. "They're all a bit too young for me…" 

He grew suddenly silent again. "Do you… ever hear from him?" Don asked quietly. 

She knew immediately which 'him' Don referred to. "You guys have your secrets, and I have mine." She answered briskly. 

He looked down. "I'm sorry, April." He said softly. "I really thought you two were going to make it work." 

She smiled sadly. "Me too." She shrugged. "But, you know, he has his life, I have mine. He wanted to move away and start over. I can't stop him from wanting to be happy. I can't make him want a commitment." 

He nodded, then stopped, both jumping when a thump came from outside the window. 

Suddenly, Leonardo appeared, carrying two bags. 

"Oh jeez." She could hear Don mutter, a hand on his plastron. 

April rose from her seat, and looked at him. "How was it?" 

Leo dropped his bags on the floor and wiped his forehead. "They went back." He said simply. 

Don sat up a bit to make room for Leo to sit down on the couch next to him. "Bad?" Don asked, and Leo nodded. "We were able to carry almost everything that was… salvageable." Leo said. 

Mike came through next, carrying two bags of his own, and setting them down before flopping onto the ground himself. He groaned, sitting back up. 

"Got any more aspirin, April? My head's killing me…" 

April nodded, and moved to get it, then stopped when Raphael came through. 

He set down his three bags, then moved to get himself a drink. "Yeah, and the dummy re-opened the cut on his arm, too." He popped open a drink and took a long swig. 

April moved to get some more drinks, and the aspirin for Mike. She could hear them talking in the living room. 

"What all was left?" Don asked. 

"Not much." Leo replied. "Thanks April." He said, taking a drink from her and, after taking a long drink from his glass continued. "Mostly just grabbed the necessities. Like, clothing. A lot of Lindy's stuff was untouched. She needs that. And weapons. Although, the only ones left were the one's that we had hidden away. And what we carried here on our backs." Leo paused, taking another long drink, and April turned to Mike. 

"Anything else?" She asked. 

He shrugged. "Just a few things from our rooms." 

"Money?" Don asked. 

Mike shook his head sadly. 

Don groaned. 

"Got some pictures, though." Raph muttered. 

"Oh yeah!" Mike sprung up off the ground. "We found pictures! Some of them were missing, but for the most part, they're there." 

"Mike, we'll find them later." Leo said wearily. "Plus, we don't want to make April's floor even more of a mess than we already have." 

"OK." Mike said, deflated. 

"Why would they take some pictures, and not all of them?" Don mused thoughtfully, and Leo looked over at him. Don stared off to the side, a slightly troubled look on his face. 

Leo shook his head. "I don't know. It does seem odd…" 

"Were they of us?" 

Leo shook his head. "All the ones with us in them were hidden with the weapons. And we found everything there. None of that stuff was touched." 

"Hmmm…" Don turned away, looking off towards the window. 

"Well…" Leo began, giving Don another glance before continuing. "We need to decide what we're doing here. We can't just crash in April's apartment forever." 

There was silence for a moment before April spoke up softly. "The farmhouse." 

Leo and Mike's heads both snapped up at her words. "What?" 

"The farmhouse." She repeated, her voice louder now. "It's done being fixed up from the… last time we were there, and it's been pretty safe to stay at before." 

Mike's eyes lit up at the thought, and even Raph looked agreeable. But Leo frowned. 

"April, I don't know…" 

"Lindy would love it there." Don mused quietly. "All that space, and fresh air…" 

"And the barn, and the lake!" Mike added in, now getting up and pacing excitedly. "I vote yes!" 

"Mmmm." Don said, agreeably. "I do too." 

Raph looked at Leo, a dubious look on his face. 

Leo thought it over, seemingly having a mental debate with himself, before looking back at his brothers. "All right." He nodded, speaking softly. "The farmhouse it is." 

Mike and Don looked to each other and grinned.

"But." Leo began. "Only for recuperation. And practice." He added. 

Mike groaned, and Leo cracked a smile at that, albeit a wary one. 

"I'll pack!" Mike moved to rush off, but stopped when Raphael cleared his throat loudly. 

"Um, Mikey? I think we are packed." He nodded towards the piles of bags that they had strewn across the apartment floor. 

"Oh." Was all Mike said, and Don grinned widely, looking over to Leo. His grin faded, however, at the look of concern on his brother's face. 

"We'll leave tomorrow." Leo said, and Mike, already pumped up, grabbed April up, and danced her across the room. 

"Mikey! Shh." Don said quickly, motioning for him to calm down. "Don't be too loud or you'll wake up…" But his sentence was cut off by a loud wail from the bedroom. Don sat back, grinning grimly. "You're turn." 

Mike opened his mouth to protest, but Don cut him off. "Uh uh." He said. "You woke her up, you deal with her being cranky. Besides…" He grinned, pointing to his leg. "I'm not supposed to be up, anyway." 

Mike stood there for a moment, before walking away, and into the other room. Raph gave a snort of laughter at that, and April joined in. 

Leo joined in with a small smile, but couldn't bring himself to feel so happy about going back there. Not after the last time…

************************************

"Ba ba bababababa…" 

Leo turned, grinning at the toddler. "All right, all right." He tested the bottle, then put it down onto her highchair, where it was promptly grabbed up and stuck into her mouth. 

"I think you picked up your patience from your Uncle Raph." He said, absentmindedly, putting the extra food back into the fridge. "You certainly didn't get it from me…" 

"What of Raph's did she get?" 

Leo jumped, almost hitting his head on the top shelf of the refrigerator. He stood up and shut the door, trying to calm his nerves. 

"And how can I get rid of it?" Don ginned, then half hopped-half stumbled to the chair. 

"You're not supposed to be up." Leo scolded. 

"Shh." Don waved his hands, looking around before whispering back. "If April catches me, she'll have my shell." 

Leo grinned. "Going a bit overboard is she?" 

Don leaned back. "If it were up to her, I'd probably be in traction." 

"Where you probably should be, anyway." 

Don grunted in response to that, and Leo sat down in a chair next to him. "So, what are you doing up?" He asked. 

"I couldn't lay there anymore." Don said, looking back at the door. "I was getting a cramp in my leg from just laying there." 

Leo nodded, and Don opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the kitchen door flew open, and Michaelangelo swept in, grabbing Lindy from her highchair. He took a few steps toward the door before turning back and looking at his brothers, who were staring at him. 

"Mind if I borrow her for a few?" He asked, and Don's brow lifted at that. Mike grinned and continued. "'Cause there's something I really wanna teach her." 

Don shrugged. "Just change her before handing her back over." 

If possible, Michelangelo's grin grew even wider. He nodded, then took off through the door, Lindy staring back at them from over his shoulder. 

After the door had closed, and the dust had settled, Don shook his head, sighing. 

"We really need to get that guy a pet." Leo muttered. 

Don snorted softly at that, and looked back at the door. They sat in silence for awhile before Don looked over at Leo and began speaking softly. 

"Leo, are you OK with this?" He asked, and Leo involuntarily stiffened at the question. 

"Well," He began. "I really think that it would be beneficial…" 

"No." Don interrupted him, and Leo looked at him in surprise. 

"No." Donatello said. "I meant are _you _OK with us going back there?" 

"I…" Leo fumbled. "I, well… no." He finally admitted quietly. "But, I'll be fine. I'll manage." He added quickly. 

"I don't want you to _manage_." Don said. "I want you to be OK with it." 

"Well, I'm not." Leo stood up, walking to the other side of the room. "And I never will be. But we don't have much of a choice, do we?" He said, his voice rising against his control. "It's not like we have an infinite number of places we can go. It's just the one, and it's…"

"Where he is." Donatello finished softly. Leo nodded slightly, then turned away, putting his hands onto the counter top, leaning on them. 

"Leo, it's not like the rest of us aren't a little bit nervous about going back up there, but we have to get…"

"It's not something to just _get over!_" Leo burst out sharply, and louder than he'd intended to. Don looked surprised at the outburst, but continued. 

"I know, Leo." He said softly. "But, you're right, it's the only place that we have to go, and if April's nice enough to let us…" 

Leo tried to tune out his brother's words. Not that they weren't true, but at this point he didn't want to hear them. He gritted his teeth as the string of words continued from his normally quiet brother's mouth, and he shut his eyes, hoping to shut out the sound of his voice. 

As soon as he shut his eyes, however, a voice pounded through his head. _"Without honor." _

His master's words repeated, over and over, and Leonardo found himself back there, at that night. 

__

He could feel the cold wind against his sweat soaked body as he looked down at his master, his sensei… his father. 

__

"Without honor." Splinter gasped out, then turned to look at the rest of them, his breath rattling in his chest and coming out in gasps. 

"My sons…" He said, and then just… stopped. 

"Nooooo…!" A guttural voice moaned, and he was surprised to realize it was his own. Leonardo gasped, and his eyes flew open. He looked around, almost surprised at his surroundings. He was back at April's apartment, in her kitchen. _I never left_, he tried to tell himself. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, and looked over at the table. Don was looking at him, wide-eyed, concern evident on his face as he tried to rise from the table. 

"Leo…?" Don hobbled his way over to his brother, and he put a hand onto his shoulder. "Leo, what…?" 

Leo leaned down, his elbows on the counter, and he put his head into his hands. "I don't want to go back there." He whispered. "I can't." 

"Yes you can." Don leaned down, also, his arm around Leo, and whispered into his ear. "You can, you'll be fine…" 

"No." Leo said, holding back the tears now. "I can't do it." He said, 

"Do what?" 

"Face him. I can't face him." 


	15. Chapter 14 Just Along For The Ride

Disclaimer - I don't own any of them but Lindy. 

Chapter 14 - Just Along For The Ride

The ride out to the farmhouse was already the longest that Donatello could remember, and they hadn't even left the city yet. And not just because of the discomfort from his leg. He kept think of the night before, and what Leo had said in the kitchen. It had bothered him all night and even now, he wished he knew what to say to make his brother feel better about this. He also wished he knew what the others were talking about in the back of the van. 

"Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety nine bottles of beer. You take one down, pass it around; Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall." 

Raphael gritted his teeth, as Michaelangelo began the next verse of the song. In the seat ahead of him, Lindy clapped her hands happily to the beat of the song. Beside her, Leonardo was staring out the window. 

"Hey," Raphael leaned forward, putting an arm on the back of the seat, next to Leonardo. "So, how come you got the good seat, and I got stuck with the everlasting karaoke machine?" 

"Hey!" Mike protested from behind him and Raph grinned. "Yo, Leo." He said, and his smile faded at Leo's lack of attention. "Leo?" He nudged Leo with his elbow, causing Leonardo to snap out of it. 

"Hmmm…? Oh, sorry, I was just…" Leo cut off, then pointed out the window. "The Foot." He whispered. 

"The Foot? What?" Raphael said, but stopped when his gaze hit where Leo's finger had pointed. There he saw the reason for his brother's shock. A moving truck, an empty building… They were robbing the store! 

"April." He called roughly, standing up. "Pull over!" 

"What?" She cried, pulling over quickly. But not fast enough for Raphael, who had a smile on his face. He was going to get them, once and for all. 

After April pulled the van over, Raph jumped out of the car, Mike hot on his heels. 

"No, Raph…!" Leo called out, but too late. Raphael had jumped out of the car and gone after the Foot. And Mikey, in his attempt to stop him, would be caught in the middle. 

Leo sighed, then got up off his chair and left the van, going after his brothers. 

April looked around. "What's going on?" She cried. Don shrugged, then pointed at the alleyway. "There." He said. "Right there. The Foot." He said, his voice full of amazement. 

"Oh, no." April said. "They won't get away with that again." She got out of the car before Donatello could stop her. 

Don looked back at Lindy, and she gave him a long suffering look. He sighed in response. 

A few moments later, April came running back into the van, her hair messy, and out of breath. 

"Where did you go?" Don asked. April simply shook her head, tucking some pieces of hair behind her ear. "Can you get their attention? We need to get out of here." 

Don looked at her, then rolled down his window and, leaning out of it, whistled loudly. Mike looked over and Don motioned for him to come over. "You need to get back in." He called, and, without a question, Mike turned back and called out for the rest of them. 

Leo ran back and Raphael turned to follow, but stopped. Grinning to himself, he picked up a piece of metal piping and stuck it in the door handle, trapping some of the Foot in the building. Then he, too, went back and got into the van. 

"What's up, Don?" Leo asked, wiping his brow. 

Don motioned to April. "She said to call you all back, that we had to get out of here." 

"I couldn't have you guys getting caught, too." 

Don turned to look at her with a confused look on his face. 

Suddenly, they could all hear a siren in the distance. Raph turned to Mike and grinned. "Awesome." 

"Why?" Mike asked. "They'll just get away again." 

"Not all of them." Raph smiled, a glint in his eye. 

"Why not?" Don half turned in his seat. 

"I made sure of that." Raph's grin grew even bigger, if that was possible. 

"Either way, we got some of them, right?" Mike said happily, leaning over the back of the seat to play with Lindy, who giggled. 

"Yeah." Leo said, distractedly. "But there'll be more." He said slowly. 

"There always are, bro. There always are." Raph said, clapping a hand onto Leo's shoulder. "But this time, it was April who kicked their butts!" He leaned forwards and gave April a high five. 

April smiled slightly. "I only did what I thought could work. I wanted them to pay for what they did to you guys." 

Raphael let out a small whoop and sat back in his seat. April laughed, then turned back to look at them. "OK, you guys. You ready for some rest and relaxation? Or are there any other people you'd like to beat up before we leave town?" 

Raph opened his mouth to say something, but Mike quickly put a hand over it, effectively drowning out his words. 

"Nope, April. We're good." He smiled. 

"OK then," April said, turning back to look at the road as the light turned green. "Mikey, sit down in the seat. Farmhouse, here we come!" 

***********************************

"Hey, April. The place looks great!" Donatello said, as Leo helped him into the living room. 

"Yeah, well, like I said. This place just got… um… fixed up." She said, carrying in a box from the car, and set it down onto the ground. She stood back up, letting a slow breath out and wiping her forehead, brushing her hair out of her eyes. 

"This is so awesome." Mike said, walking into the room with Lindy in his arms. "I so call the attic room." 

April nodded. "And Don can have the room off of this room, since it's on the ground floor. You other two'll have to fight it out yourselves." She smiled. "Bad choice of words." She looked up at the clock. "Oh no. The store's going to close soon, and we have no groceries." 

"No problem, April." Don smiled. "We'll get everything put away, won't we guys?" 

The rest of them nodded. April laughed, reaching for her keys. "Why does that somehow scare me?" She said, grabbing her coat and walking towards the door. "I'm gonna get some groceries, OK? I'll be back soon." She disappeared from the doorway, only to pop her head back in a minute later. "Guys. Seriously? _Try _not to wreck the house for awhile, alright?" 

"Yes April." They chorused, and she grinned grimly. "Yeah." She said. "Thanks. I'll see you guys in a bit." 

"Ahh!" Michaelangelo set Lindy down and flopped down on a chair. "It is so great to be back here!" 

Both Don and Raph glanced at Leo, who was staring out the window, looking distant. 

Mike looked from Don and Raph to Leo. "Hey guys, what's…" 

"I'm gonna go for a walk." Raph said suddenly. "Leo, you wanna…?" 

"No." Leo said slowly, then shook his head, seemingly clearing it. "No, that's OK." He said, his voice brighter now. "I'm going to unpack." 

Raph shrugged. "OK." He said, resignedly, then walked out the door. 

Mike turned to Don. "Y'want me to watch Lindy?" He asked hopefully. "Because I can if you want me to. I'll just…" 

"No, that's OK." Don said, then laughed as Mike's face fell. "It's nap time anyway." He said, looking down at Lindy, who was sitting on the floor, fighting to keep her eyes open, and yawning at the same time. 

"Hand her to me, will you, Mike? For today, she can doze with me on the couch." 

"Your leg bothering you?" Mike asked, leaning down to pick Lindy up. 

Don nodded. "Yeah." He said. "More than before even. I think I may have done too much." He grinned as Lindy held her arms out for him. "Come here, my nibby little angel, you." He grinned up at Michaelangelo. "Thanks, Mikey. I think I may doze with her. If you guys don't mind, that is." 

"Oh no, dude. Doze away. I'll wake you up for dinner." Mike grinned and turned to grab some bags. "I'll be upstairs if you need me. Leo'll probably be closer, though." He said, then turned, and walked up the steps to the attic. 

*******************************************

April put the bags into her car and shut the door. Then she hopped in and started on her way home. She'd gotten enough supplies for at least a week, hopefully more. _But knowing the way those guys eat… _She thought to herself, smiling. She flipped on the radio, and began looking for a station. Something caught her ear and she gasped, turning the radio up. 

__

*… the five men were taken into custody today, after being caught robbing a store. In a twist to this story, the robbers were caught after police discovered the door was jammed shut to trap them inside. Others were taken in for questioning.* 

April gasped. It was the Foot. _She'd _called the police on them. _Oh, no. _She thought to herself. _Please don't mention my…_

*_An eye witness claims to have seen former Channel 3 reporter April O'Neil at the scene.* _

April groaned. Great. Just what she needed. 

*****************************

"When do you think April's getting home?" Mikey paced around the living room. 

They were done unpacking, and Lindy had awaken from her nap. She, Don and Leo sat on the couch, watching Mike pace. 

"She had a lot to shop for, Mikey." Don said again, trying patiently to answer his question. Again. 

"Mike." Leo began. "We're all hungry. But April…"

"I'm late, I'm so sorry!" April rushed in, a blur of bags and groceries as she ran through the door and into the kitchen. 

"There's four more in the car." She called into the living room. Leo and Mike got up and left to get the groceries. 

After they walked back into the house with the bags and she'd put everything away, she walked back into the living room. 

"So, I heard some news on the radio." She smiled as they turned questioning looks at her. "Five men were taken in today in a case of robbery." 

They looked at her, confused. 

"What… what do you mean, April?" Leo asked. 

"I mean, the Foot. They caught them. The ones in the store. And a few more were brought down for questioning." April beamed. "That means they're gone!" 

Don and Mike smiled, but Leo looked at April warily. "The ones from today? That you called the cops on?" He asked, and April nodded. "They caught them!" She said. "Aren't you guy happy?" 

She was grinning but Leo looked worried. "They didn't see you, did they?" He asked, and April's smile froze on her face. 

"N- No." She lied. "Nope." She looked down away from his gaze. "Not me. I'm stealthy." She looked up and grinned. "Some of my best friends are ninjas, you know." 

Mike let out a whoop and clapped his hands. "This is so totally awesome." He cried, getting up off the floor. "I've gotta go tell Raph." He walked past April, and slapped her hand. "You are awesome, girl. Totally sweet." He grinned back at them before going outside to tell Raph the good news. 

Leo looked at her a moment longer, then he, too, broke out in a smile. "For once, I totally agree with Mikey." He got up, walking over to April. "Thank you, April." He said, grabbing and squeezing her hand for a minute before walking into the kitchen. 

April's smile wavered. She hoped they didn't watch the news that night. 

***********************

Later that night, April lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling. Luckily, she'd gotten them away from the television that night, so no one saw the news. She sighed. She didn't know how she'd hide this from them; and she'd lied to Leo. Now she'd have to go and probably testify… Not to mention that now the Foot _knew _she'd had something to do with it. 

She sighed again. No use being scared over it, she decided, then closed her eyes and fell asleep. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N - OK guys, just a little heads up, here. I have decided to end the first arc of this story in a few chapters. This in no way means I am quitting this story, far from it, actually. I am just breaking it up into different parts. This is but the first of many story arcs in my "What The Heart Wants" universe. I have much yet to write about Lindy and the guys. And as Lindy grows, so will the fun and adventure. 

I'll let you know the name of the next arc soon. 

By the way, if I haven't mentioned it in awhile - You guys rock! See you next chapter!


	16. Nursery Rhymes

A/N - This strays just a bit from the storyline. It's just a bit of behind-the-scenes, day-in-the-life kind of story. I figured I'd been writing angst, angst, just-one-thing-after-another chapters, so here's a nice little back story. I'll get back to the regularly scheduled story next chapter. Enjoy. 

Nursery Rhymes

"Why are you being so stubborn?" 

Michaelangelo could hear the fight before he was even fully awake. But it wasn't between who he expected. That was April's voice, he realized dimly. 

When he finally dragged himself down the stairs and into the living room, he had heard a bit more, all of it April's voice. He walked into the living room to see April standing over Donatello, hands on her hips, looking down at him. _Well, that explains the one-sided argument. _He thought to himself, smiling. 

He looked over to see Leo sitting in a chair, watching the exchange with a look of unhidden amusement on his face. 

"Uh, hey guys." Mike started. "What's…"

"What's up?" April turned on him. "What's up is your brother here is as hard headed as a brick wall sometimes." 

Leo snickered in the corner. 

"Oh, don't think you're out of this." April shot over his way, and he instantly sobered up. Mike grinned. Despite the situation, it was nice seeing Leo laugh again. He'd been so quiet since they'd gotten up here… 

"What is going on?" Raphael came down the stairs. "Good thing the neighbors are a few miles away." He came into the room and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in front of him. 

"I think she should have a room of her own." April said. 

"Who?" Mike asked, confused. 

"Lindy." April said, exasperated. "I cleaned out the room off of Don's and I thought that we could paint it and make it a baby room." She glared over at Don. "And he said no." 

Don leaned back in the couch. He groaned. "All I said was, I didn't want you to go to all that trouble…"

"What trouble?" April asked. "She should have a nursery of her own at least once. And that's the perfect room. Don't you want your only niece to have a nice new nursery?" She turned to Mike. "Mike?" She turned again. "Leo?" 

Leo held a hand up, signaling he wasn't getting involved, holding in a smile.

"Give it to her." 

All four of their heads turned to look at him. 

"What?" Raphael shrugged. "April's right. She should have her own room."

A moment passed without anyone saying anything. Then April sighed. "You're only saying that because that puts another room in-between you and her!" 

He shrugged again. "I didn't say…" 

"Alright." Don grinned. "We'll paint the room." 

*************************************

"You shoulda bought pink!" 

April sighed, for what felt like the millionth time that day. "Mikey, Don specified no pink. So I didn't get pink." 

"But she's a girl." Mike protested.

"And she'll know that even without what society has deemed gender appropriate wall color." Don argued from his place on the rolling footstool, where he was taking care of the bottom of the wall. 

"But, can't you just see it: a cute little pink girl's room, with dolls and stuffed animals…" 

"Mikey." Raph interrupted, looking down at him from his place on the ladder. "If you want us to paint your room next, you only have to ask." 

Don snorted from his corner, and Mike turned a pained look to Leonardo. 

"Leo…" 

"It's Don's choice, Mikey. And this is a nice color. Yellow really brightens up the room." 

"I agree." April said. "It looks wonderful." 

"Plus, it would make a nice reading room, if you wanted to…" 

"Don't even start." April grumbled. 

"Well," Don tried again. "I'm just saying…"

"This can be her room when she comes to visit when she's older, too." April said, in the voice that meant 'conversation over'. 

"A nice, sunny room." Leo mumbled from his place in the room. 

"Bah." Mike growled lightly, flicking his paintbrush in Leo's direction, realizing too late that it was too hard. 

Leonardo didn't even flinch when the yellow splatters splashed across his shell and arm. 

"Uh oh." Mike mumbled. 

"Oh, Mikey." April groaned. 

"You'd better not get any of that on me." Raph growled. 

"Mikey…" Leo said, trying to get at the spots on his shell. 

"Here, let me…" April moved forward, paper towel in hand, trying to help wipe the spots off. 

"I'll get it." Mike said, walking up to Leo, but tripping over the paint can. 

"Mike! Look out…!" 

April's shriek cut short as Michaelangelo's hand came up to stop himself from falling onto her. She jumped away, and put a hand up to her face. It was wet. She pulled her hand away and looked down at it. It was bright yellow. 

"Oh, Mikey…" She groaned. Then she picked up her own brush and flicked it towards Mike. He ducked, and April put a hand up to her mouth. 

"Oh, oh my gosh, I'm so…" 

Raphael turned, one half of his face covered in bright yellow spots, and her apology dissolved into laughing. 

Leo and Don joined in, and April tried her apology again as Raph tried to wipe the paint off of his face. 

"Oh, oh Raph." She gasped, an arm around her stomach, leaning against an unpainted wall. "I'm really, I mean I didn't mean to… I'm sorry--…" 

She burst out into giggles again when Raphael only succeeded in putting a large streak of yellow across his face. 

Leo turned back to the wall, trying to hide his smile, and Don shook his head, laughing as Raph tried to look angry. 

"You know, Raph?" Mike began. "Yellow's really your color…" Raph jumped down off the ladder and advanced on him, holding his paint-roller out like a weapon. 

"Funny guy." He said menacingly, then lunged forward. Mike jumped back easily, but he landed with a big sloshing sound. 

Everyone stopped for a second, until Don looked down at himself. 

"Aww, man. My shell!" 

************************************************

Four hours, two cans of paint, and enough paper towels to make up the pages of an encyclopedia later, the four turtles sat in the kitchen, waiting for April to come back from her shower. 

"I am exhausted." Mike sank back in his chair. 

"You?" Don stared at his brother. "Who's the only one who came out of this thing not totally yellow?" 

"That _you_ started." Leo added. 

Mike shrugged and put his arms behind his head. "Well, my foot was yellow for a little while…" He said. 

"But most of that ended up on me, anyway." Don mumbled. 

"And I can't believe we finally got all of you cleaned off enough to walk into another room." April came into the room, drying her hair with a towel. 

She sat down at the table and looked at them. Some traces of yellow still stood out on them. She grinned. "So, who's next?" 

"I'll…" Raph began, but Mikey jumped up and sprinted out of the room. "Dibs!" 

Raph just stared at the doorway for a minute before groaning and slumping back against the counter. 

Don chuckled quietly and Leo smiled. 

"You guys don't want to go?" April asked them. 

"I have no illusions." Don said, smiling. "I know I'm going to be last." He shrugged. "That's OK, I'll probably take the longest anyway." He gestured to his cast. 

April shrugged. "OK. That's probably smart, anyway." She stood, wrapping her hair in the towel. "I guess we'll get take-out for supper. I don't feel like cooking." She reached up onto one of the shelves and pulled out a stack of take-out menus. "OK, guys. What'll it be?" 

****************************************

April came into the living room, and sat down in a chair, a mug of hot tea in her hands. 

"It's starting to get cold at night." She commented, wrapping her hands around the steaming mug. 

"You're telling me." Don said. 

"I am exhausted." April said, then yawned, as if to emphasis her point. 

"Me too." Leo said, standing up and stretching. "I think I'll follow Mike and Raph and go up to bed." He grinned. "But first, I'll make sure that Raph's not hiding out behind Mike's door." 

Don and April smiled. 

"Good night!" They both called to him as he went up the stairs. 

"I think they have the right idea." April said, standing up. "Maybe I'll drink this in bed." She walked up to Don. "Need a hand?" She asked, offering to help him up. 

He shook his head and struggled to get up himself. 

She grinned. "You're more hard headed than I ever knew. Must be hanging out with Raph too much." 

He grinned back. "Oh, please…" 

She turned to go up to bed. 

"April?" 

She turned and walked back up to him. "Yeah?" She looked at him. 

"Thank you." Don said. "For… well, for everything, but today…" He looked down. "I never thought I could give her something so normal as a nursery before." He looked back up at her. "That… that means a lot to me. Thank you." 

She smiled and put an arm around him. "Today was fun, huh?" She asked and he nodded. "Good." She continued. "Thank you for letting me." 

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "You guys deserve it." She said. "Good night." 

He watched her go up the stairs, then hobbled over to his room. He stopped, looking inside the now cheerful, yellow room off of his. Then he sighed and smiled, getting into bed, happy for once to be exhausted at the end of the day. They had so much more to do tomorrow. Moving furniture, setting the room up. Something so normal. He couldn't wait. 

He started to close his eyes, then opened them again as he heard a small thump. 

__

Leo trying to be quiet. Don frowned. Then that was followed by a louder thump and the sound of liquid spilling across the floor. 

He closed his eyes, trying not to laugh as he could hear muffled grumbling coming from the other room. 

__

Leo trying to clean up the mess he made before April finds out and kills him. 

He heard a few more muttered curses, and then the paper towels being pulled off of the roll. Then he turned over, reminding himself to get up early enough to see Leo let Mike know he figured out where Mike had left the extra bucket of water they'd used to clean the brushes off with. 

Don closed his eyes. He really was tired. But a good tired. He tried to get to sleep. Just before he fell asleep, Don could hear Leo kick the empty bucket, and he heard Mike's name mentioned a few times in this round of muttered curses. 

He grinned, and turned over. 

Tomorrow is definitely going to be a good day… 


	17. Chapter 15 Together, But Alone

Disclaimer - Don't own any of 'em. Except Lindy. 

Chapter 15 - Together, But Alone

Michaelangelo looked up from his walk when he heard a car coming down the street. _It's gotta be April. _He thought happily, and picked up his gait. 

"Hey!" He called out, when April stepped out of the car, and she turned and waved to him happily. 

"Hi, Mikey!" She walked up to him, where he was holding his arms out for a hug. She obliged, then began walking up to the house with him, arm in arm. 

"So," She began. "Where is everyone else?" 

"In the house." Mike answered, then smiled. "They just don't appreciate the great outdoors like I do." He said jokingly. 

"Mmm hmm." April smiled. "I bet. What are you guys up to?" 

"Nothing. Just staying out of trouble, just like you told us to."

She laughed. "Yeah, right. Now really, what's everyone else up to?" 

******************************

Leonardo walked down the stairs, rubbing a hand over his forehead. He was exhausted. He'd only slept about two hours the night before, and maybe three the night before. He hadn't done that for… well, it had been almost a year now, hadn't it? 

He stumbled into the kitchen, where Don sat, watching Raph try and feed Lindy; an amused smile on his face. 

"Hey." Don said, when he saw Leo enter the room. 

"Hi." Leo said softly, then sat down at the table. Raph looked over to him, and Lindy grinned, holding her arms out for him. 

"Thought you were gonna sleep the whole day away." Raph said, then turned back to the mission at hand, which was making the food actually go _into _Lindy's mouth. 

"Yeah," Leo began. "I don't know what came over me, feeling so tired all the time…"

"Not sleeping for two weeks will do that to you." Don interrupted softly. Both Leo and Raph whipped their heads around to look at him.

"I… I don't, I haven't…" Leo stammered, but had no excuse. 

Don shrugged. "Well, it's not like none of us wouldn't have noticed." 

"Is this true?" Raph asked, a scowl forming on his face. 

"Raph…" Leo began, but stopped, frowning. "Don, this is really not something I want to discuss here." He said lowly. 

"But I do." Don sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "This isn't good, Leo, and I want to talk to you about the other week, too, when…"

"Don." Leo hissed through his teeth. "I said _not now_." 

Raph looked between the two, at first confused, then getting angry. He hated being out of the loop like this. 

"Either of you two care to tell me what's going on?" He asked. 

Don and Leo looked at each other for a few more moments in silence. 

"No." Leo said forcefully. 

"…No" Don said, softly. 

Raphael sighed in frustration. "Fine, you two gonna be that way? Great. Here." He shoved the remainder of Lindy's lunch into Leo's hands. "I'll leave so you two can talk." He spit out, then stormed out of the room. 

Mike opened the front door, almost colliding with Raphael when he and April stepped into the room. 

"Uh, looks like things are right back to normal." April said, looking up the stairs after Raphael. 

"They haven't had a fight in awhile." Mike frowned, but it soon turned back into his trademark half-grin. "Then again," He began. "We were worrying about _that _too…" He linked arms with April, leading her to the kitchen. "If this is where he came from, then I'm sure that everyone else is surely…" He cut off when they got into the next room. 

Don and Leo sat at the table, each one making an effort to not look at the other. The silence was deafening. 

"Um, hi." April said finally, and it took a moment for both of them to react. Leo finally looked up at her. 

"Hey, April." He said, a tired smile on his face. 

Lindy grinned and waved her hands around. 

Don looked up a moment later, distracted, like he was jarred out of a dream. "Hi, April. What's up?" He asked, but looked back at Leo, and then out the window, lost in his thoughts again. 

April frowned, and Michaelangelo followed suit. 

"Guys? Is something going on?" Mike asked, looking at his brothers. 

"Absolutely nothing." Leo said. 

"Are you sure…?" Mike began, but Leo cut him off. 

"I said nothing, Michaelangelo. Why is everyone in such a nosy mood today?" Leo got up from his chair, then left the room. 

Mike and April looked at each other. 

"Don?" She began softly. "What happened?" 

"Hmm…?" He said, distractedly. "Oh, nothing." He mumbled.

Mike sighed and April looked at him again. 

"You'll never get anything out of him when he's like this." Mike said. "Watch." He turned to Don. "Hey, Don, we're gonna take Lindy with us, OK?"

"Mmm hmm." Came the answer. 

"Maybe take her for a ride." 

"That'll be nice."

"Take her skydiving. Is that OK?"

"Yeah, just have her back for her nap." 

Mike looked at April, who was covering her mouth to keep from laughing. 

"Mikey. You're bad." She whispered, partly laughing.

"I know." He beamed. "But I'm darn good at it." He grinned. "Years and years of practice." 

"No kidding." April said, then laughed. 

****************************************

Raphael sat on the couch, trying to watch TV. He uses the word 'trying' because all he can hear is the sounds of April and Mikey making lunch. Together. In the same room. 

He sighed and looked at Donatello, who was sitting next to him on the couch. He hadn't said a word since he came in and sat down. Although Raph didn't much mind. 

Leo had been upstairs since the morning, too. But he wasn't sleeping; not the few times Raph was upstairs. 

Not that he could be, what with all the racket that's going on down here. 

******************************

Leo walked downstairs, feeling more awake now, but still tired. He walked into the living room, where it appeared that Raph and Don were watching TV. 

"I'm going for a walk." He said, surprised at the sound of his own voice. He sounded tired. Weak. 

Neither of them looked back at him. 

"Have fun." Raphael said. 

"Umm…" Leo began. "Hey, Don, you mind if I take Lindy with me, show her around?" He asked. 

Don turned to him. "Sure. Go ahead." He turned back to the television. "Oh, we'll be eating soon." He said, then smiled. "Well, that is, if Mike and April ever get done making the food. I'm almost afraid of going in there to see what's going on…" 

"Almost?" Raph turned to look at Donatello. "Why do you think we're both sitting here starving? I'm not goin' in there." 

"Mike and April?" Leo smiled. "Well, no rush, then. We'll be back in a bit. In time for lunch, no doubt. Or dinner." 

"Yeah." Don smiled. "See you in a bit." 

"Yeah." Leo said. "See you." 

********************************

The farm was always the prettiest in the fall. At least, that's what Leo thought. The fall and the spring, when everything was new and bright. But now, almost all the leaves were gone, and it was getting cold. Just added to his mood. 

He sighed, looking away from the bare branches and dull sky and down at the tiny hand holding his. 

"You're lucky, you know that?" He said, then looked back up at the trees in front of them. "All this space, all this freedom… All your innocence." She tugged on his hand, then broke free. 

"Oh, no." He grabbed her hand again. "You're staying with me." 

He picked her up and took her deeper into the woods, being careful not to stray too far to the right. 

"I don't know about you, Lind, but I needed a walk. And you're the only one who won't question me about… things." He spoke as he walked, carrying her to a clearing where he set her down, grabbing her hand. 

He sighed. "I do love it here, don't get me wrong. And you will too, but… There's just so much that's _here_. Beyond what you can see. What you can feel." He stared out at the clouds. "Your daddy knows something's wrong. And he won't give up until he finds out what that is. Your uncle Raph is mad because we won't tell him what's going on… And I know Mikey's seen something's wrong." He sighed. "And I hate being such a bother…." He laughed dryly. "And here I am, telling it all to you." He looked down to see her looking up at him. The only answer he got was her tugging on his hand, then slipping out of his grasp again. She ran from him, and went straight into a pile of leaves. 

He ran over to her, and looked down at her. She grinned up at him, then threw her arms up, causing the leaves to fly all around her. One landed on her head. 

He grinned, then picked it off of her head. He sat down in the leaves with her. 

"You know, I just hate second-guessing myself. And I find myself doing it now, all the time. Not that I didn't before, but now it's for everything."

She responded by throwing her arms up again and made leaves fall onto him now. He laughed. 

"Is that what you want me to do?" He asked her, then threw some leaves up. He smiled. "Shut up an toss some leaves in the air?" 

She laughed as they fell around her like rain. He smiled back at her, then lay in the leaves beside her. "Thanks for the talk." He said softly, then tossed some more leaves into the air. 

*******************************************

Leo walked into the living room to see Raph and Don were still in the room, only now Don was in a chair and Raph was sprawled on the couch. 

They both looked over as they walked into the room. Lindy reached her arms out for Don. 

"Hey, guys." Leo said, handing Lindy over to Don. "What's going on? Are we late for lunch?" 

"Late for lunch?" Raphael muttered, half laughing. 

Leo looked to Don for an explanation. 

"Raph and I called for a pizza half an hour ago." He said calmly, picking a stray leaf out of Lindy's hair. 

Leo grinned. "That good, huh?" 

"What, good?" Raph finally looked over at him. "We've never seen Mikey or April since they went in there." He turned back to the TV. "Maybe April cooked _him_." He muttered. 

Don looked at Leo and grinned. 

***********************************

When they finally sat down to eat, it was for supper, and the kitchen looked as if a struggle had taken place in it, and it was hurriedly cleaned up. Despite the pizza they'd had for lunch, they were still hungry, and soon it was silent around the table, as they all ate. 

"Um, I was thinking…" Mike finally spoke up. 

"There's a new one." Raph grumbled. 

Mike shot him a look, but continued. "We've been here almost two weeks, and I think we should go and… and visit him." 

Raph coughed suddenly, and Leo dropped his fork. 

"What?" Leo spluttered. 

"I think we should go and visit him." He said defensively. "I have already, but we should all go, together, and… and see him. It would be nice." 

Leo looked to Don, who'd stayed quiet during Mikey's announcement. 

"You knew about this?" Leo asked him. 

"Well, I think it's a good idea." Don said carefully, not looking up from his plate. 

Mike beamed. 

Raph shrugged. "If you guys really wanna." 

Don turned to Leo. "Leo, it would be a really good idea. We were his sons and all…" 

"Are." Leo interrupted fiercely. 

"What?" Don asked, confused. 

"Are. We are his sons. And don't you use that against me." Leo growled. "You know what?" Leo stood up, throwing his napkin on the table. "Fine. You guys do what you want to do. Whatever." Leo strode from the room and up to his bed, which he flopped down on. He stared at the ceiling, feeling not the sadness he thought he would, well a little bit of that, but nervousness. He felt nervous and scared and… helpless. He hated feeling that way. 

__

Three years. He thought to himself. _It's been almost three years and I'm afraid to face it. I'm afraid to face **him**_. 

He sighed and put an arm over his eyes. _Brave ninja. It's been three years, and I'm still afraid of a ghost. _


	18. Chapter 16 Questions and Answers and Que...

Chapter 16 - Questions and Answers and Questions

Raphael woke up early, to the sounds of breakfast being made down in the kitchen. He made his way downstairs, stopping in the doorway of the kitchen, listening to Michaelangelo hum as he swept around the kitchen. Mikey'd been so happy about them all going and visiting Splinter. The whole past week he'd been in a good mood. Raphael wasn't sure how he felt about the whole thing. He did, but he didn't. He wanted to visit, but that meant all those emotions… and someone would probably cry…

Mike looked over to him from the counter. 

"Morning!" He said, cheerfully. "Breakfast's just about done. Come sit down." 

Raph did as Mike asked and sat down at the table. He put an elbow on the table, and put his head on his hand. 

"So, what're you doing up so early?" 

"Just getting breakfast ready." Michaelangelo replied cheerfully. 

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Well, I can see that." He said. "But why?" 

Mike shook his head, smiling. "I'm in a good mood today." He said. 

"You know," Raph started. "This may not go as well as you hoped." 

"What are you…" Mike started, but was interrupted by Leo coming through the door. 

"Morning, Leo." Mike said. 

"Hey." Leo replied. 

Raph eyed him. "Morning." Leo'd been quiet since they'd decided to do this. More than he'd been since they'd come up to the farmhouse. 

Donatello came in next. He silently went and grabbed orange juice, then sat down at the table. 

Raph looked between the two of them, Leo and Don. He sighed inwardly. Leo didn't want to go, fine. Everyone knew that. They all also knew that Don disagreed with Leo. While Don wouldn't say much about it, they all knew. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when Mikey spoke up. 

"So, what does everyone want for lunch today?" He grabbed a plate and sat down next to Don. "I'm going to pack a picnic basket." 

Don looked up from the paper and smiled at this. "Good idea, Mikey." He looked out the window. "It looks like it's going to stay nice today." 

Raph nodded. "Yeah. Hey, you know, I think I'll take one of those roast beef sandwiches." 

Mike nodded happily. "OK, cool." He turned to face Leo. 

"I don't care." Leo held a hand up, waving it dismissively. "Just give me whatever." 

Mike's smile froze, and Don frowned. "Leo…" 

Leo sighed. "Look, whatever makes you happy, OK?" 

"Leo, you don't need to be rude about it." Don turned to Mike. "Roast beef for me, too." 

"What being rude?" Leo said. "I just said I didn't care…" 

"I know that." Don started out patiently. "But it's the way you said it. We all know you don't want to go…" 

"What do you all know?" Leo stood. "You don't know as much as you think you do, you know that?" 

Don looked at him, frowning. "I know you haven't been sleeping again. I know there's more to that than you want to tell us. I know that for some reason, you…" 

"Stop." Leo said. 

But Don went on. "That you blame yourself for this, and are punishing yourself for it." 

That was it, the final blow. 

"No." Leo said, but his voice wavered. When had he become so transparent. _But maybe you just wanted someone to see through you… _

"Yes." Don said firmly, more firmly than Raph had heard him speak to Leo in… ever. "Leo, you are not to…" 

"I'm not going." Leo said suddenly, standing up and turning to leave the room. 

"Yes you are." Don stood also. 

Leo looked at his brother in shock. He'd never talked to him like that before, like he could tell him what to do. 

"You don't have the right…" Leo began. 

"To what?" Don said. "To tell you that I think you should go?" He shook his head, looking at Leo. "I'm entitled to _that _Leo." He looked away for a minute. "To try and help you? I'm not allowed to do that." 

"No." Leo said, turning away from him, not wanting to listen, not wanting to hear his brother's words. 

"Why not?" Don asked, despair evident on his face. 

"Because…" Leo began, turning to the counter. "Because you have no idea what it's like. What I'm going through." 

"Because you won't _let us _know." Don said. "You won't let us help! God, Leo, give us a little credit. It wasn't just you that lost someone that day. It wasn't just you that lost their father." 

"But it was just me that let him down." Leo turned to face him again, angry now, tears brimming in his eyes. 

"No it wasn't." Don said, his voice rising. "There were four of us there that day, Leo. Four of us. We were all there. We all watched him die." He looked away for a moment, collecting himself. "How dare you." He said softly. "How dare you think that you're so special as to be the only one who made any difference in the matter." 

His words hit Leo like a slap in the face. When he finally looked back up at Donatello, he saw his brother also had tears in his eyes, and a few had leaked down his face. 

Leo opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He tried again, and let out a choked breath. "I… It was just so hard…" He got out, then a sob left his throat, and he could feel an arm go around him as he sunk to the floor. Suddenly, everything around him went black, and he was transported back…

***********************

__

Three years ago… 

They had searched for almost an hour when Mike spotted them from across the roof. 

"There." He said simply, pointing at the top of the building. Sure enough, there they were; they could see Splinter's form and the glare of light off Shredder's armor. They were locked in a heated battle, one which they all knew couldn't end well. But they could try. 

"It'll be faster if we just jump from this building to the next." Raph said, preparing to jump. 

"I don't know." Leo said, judging the distance. "We might not make it." He turned to Don. "What do you think?" 

"I dunno." Don said, scratching his chin. "Maybe we could… but only with a perfect jump. Otherwise…" 

"That settles it." Leo said. "We go from the ground up." 

They all nodded, trusting in his decision, and went back down the building, making their way across to the next building over, where they were faced with Foot members guarding the entrance. 

By the time they'd gotten past the guards, and made it up to the roof, the fight had escalated even more. 

They got up there just in time to see Shredder make a last, desperate leap at Splinter, which Splinter avoided easily. 

"This is for my master." Splinter said, then raised his staff in the air, and leapt toward Shredder, who had recovered, and threw himself at Splinter, also. 

As the turtles watched in horror, Shredder pulled a dagger as he leapt, then the two collided, falling to the rooftop together. Splinter stood, and looked down at his opponent. 

Shredder looked down at himself. "I… I have been…" 

"Yes, Saki." Splinter said. "Pierced by your own dagger." 

Shredder looked down at himself, blood dripping from his arm. He looked up at Splinter, and a grin came over his face. "You have not come out of this unscathed." He growled, then fell back softly. "I'll take you with me…" He spat, then fell unconscious. 

The four turtles ran forward, reaching Splinter as he fell to his knees. 

"Splinter!" Leo cried, then looked over to his brother. "Don?" 

Don frowned, a pained expression on his face. "Poison tipped. The dagger…" 

"We have to **do **something!" Leo cried, falling to his knees beside Splinter. 

"Master?" Michaelangelo said softly, kneeling down, also. Raphael joined them. 

Splinter opened his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but Leo put a finger up. 

"Don't try to talk, Master Splinter. We're gonna get you home…" He turned to Don, who shook his head softly. Tears filled Leo's eyes and he looked away from Don and back to Splinter. 

Splinter gasped as Donatello grabbed Leo's sword and cut the wound where Splinter had been stuck with the dagger open deeper, in an attempt to get some of the poison away. 

"Mike." Don gasped, sweat beading on his forehead. "Gimmee a pulse."

Mike came out of his shock, and grabbed Splinter's wrist. "Um… Slow, Donnie, I think… Oh God…" 

Don leapt up and grabbed Splinter's wrist. His face blanched and his eyes went wide. He sat back. "Oh no…" 

"What?" Raph demanded. 

"No…" Splinter gasped out. They all stopped and looked at him. "No." He repeated, more firmly this time, his voice growing stronger for a moment. 

Splinter moved his head to look to the side. 

"Master?" Leonardo asked softly. 

Splinter looked off to side and whispered, "Without honor…." 

Then he looked back at the four faces around him, and a small smile came over his face. "My sons…" 

*************************************************

"Leo… Leo, you know that was meant for Shredder. Not you." Don said, kneeling beside Leonardo. 

"It wasn't just your fault." Raph said. "If anything, it was all of us. I didn't have to listen. I coulda just jumped across anyway. Either we're all at fault, or none of us. Not just one of us. We don't blame just one person…" 

Don's face tightened at this remark, and Leo thought back to that night in horror. After Splinter had died, he'd looked for anyone to blame, anyone to make him feel better…

**************************************************

__

Leo stood from where he knelt beside Splinter's still form. Raphael was standing alone across the rooftop, and Mike stood with Don. 

Suddenly, Leo felt a surge of anger like he'd never felt for his brother before. 

"Why didn't you do something?" He got out, walking across the roof. 

Don looked at Mike, confusion on both their faces. 

"You could have saved him!" Leo yelled. "Why didn't you save him?" 

Don's mouth dropped open. "Leo, I… I tried, I…" 

"You didn't do anything. You just let him die. You gave up before you even started…" 

Mike looked at Don. He bit his lip, trying not to lose it. 

"I…" Don started. "I did what I could…" 

"No you didn't." Leo spat. "You're supposed to be so smart, why didn't you save him?" 

*********************************

"Don." Leo whispered. "Oh God, Don. I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean…" 

Don shook his head. "We all said things we didn't mean that day." 

"No…" Leo shook his head. "Not you." 

Don smiled, a small smile. "Sure I did." He said softly. "You just weren't around to hear them." 

Leo chuckled softly. 

"Leo, seriously." Raph said. "Shredder died without honor. That was what he meant, and you know it." 

Leo nodded. "I'm sorry." 

Raph sighed. "Oh, for God's sake, will you stop apologizing?" He stood up. "Jeez…" 

Don smiled and stood up, too. "Let's try this another day." He looked out the window. "Besides, I don't want to hop all the way out there. If we wait, I'll be OK. Anyway, it's getting late." 

They all nodded. Mike helped Leo up. 

"Thank you." He said. "All of you." He put an arm around Don and Mike. "For putting up with me. It's not over yet, but it's getting easier." 

"Gee, Leo. We _had_ to put up with you." Raph said. "You know how long your lectures get when we don't?" 

They all laughed, and Raph walked forward, joining them in the embrace. 

***********************************

April looked over at Lindy, who was in her crib, looking at her. 

"Sounds like they don't need me to watch you today, sweetie." She jumped slightly as the phone rang. 

"Hello?" She asked, picking it up. 

"Is this a Ms April O'Neil?"

"Yes." She answered slowly. "Who is…" 

"This is the New York Police Department. We understand you were a witness in a robbery a few weeks ago…" 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A/N - OK, um, I didn't know if Shredder would use a dagger or not. But I figure it this way: he fights dirty, right? So, I let him use a dagger. 


	19. Chapter 17 Lies and Consequences

Chapter 17 - Lies and Consequences 

April drove slowly down the street. She couldn't wait to see the guys, and Lindy, but she had to make sure she didn't give anything away. She needed her story straight. They'd been questioning when she had to leave early and talk to the police. She'd told them it was something for work. And she hated lying to them, but she had already told them that the Foot hadn't seen her. And at first, to be honest, she wasn't sure either. But now, she was almost positive that once her name had been mentioned, they'd known. 

She pulled into the driveway, and got out of the car slowly. She knew that they'd heard her car coming probably a mile away, and were waiting for her. So she put a smile on her face, straightened her shoulders, and walked to the front door. 

The door flew open a split second before she was about to knock. 

"Hey, April." A flustered looking Leo said. 

"Hey." She replied, taking her jacket off and entering the room. "What's going on?" 

She looked at the other occupants of the room. Mike was pacing back and forth, holding a screaming, red-faced Lindy in his arms, trying to sooth her. Don sat in a chair a few feet away, slumped down, a hand on his head. 

"She's been teething forever." 

April jumped at the voice. "Raph?" She asked, looking over the back of the couch. He lay there, an arm over his eyes. 

"And she did good with that. Until she got the cold." He sighed. "And now she won't shut up!" 

April looked over at Mike and Lindy. 

"She have a fever?" She asked. 

Leo nodded. "Yeah. It's not too bad, though." 

"Did you give her the baby aspirin?" April asked. 

"Yes." Leo said. 

"How long has she been crying like this then?" April asked. 

"Since she was born." Raph mumbled from the other side of the couch, where he was now beginning to sit up. 

Leo shot Raph a look. 

"All day." Mike answered, swinging back and forth with her. 

April walked up to them and put a hand onto Lindy's red forehead. She definitely has a fever. She bent down to take a look in Lindy's mouth when she opened it for another wail. 

"Well, it might be the teeth, but I think it's the cold, really. You want me to go out and get some more medicine?" 

"No." Don stood finally. "You want me to take her, Mike?" He asked. 

April looked at him. He looked awful. He looked nervous and weary. 

She walked forward. "Here, let me take her." April held her arms out for her. 

"No, April." Don started. "I don't want you having to deal with her." 

"Nonsense." April said, wiggling her fingers impatiently in a 'give me' manner. "Now come on. And then you guys'll go take a breather. You all look terrible." 

Mike handed April Lindy, then walked out into the kitchen. 

Raph followed suit, and April sat on the newly vacated seat. 

They all sat in silence for a few more minutes, then Lindy's cries began to soften, then she stopped, and fell asleep. 

"How in the world did you…" Don began, looking like he couldn't decide whether to be happy she was sleeping, or hurt that he didn't comfort her. 

"It's a woman's touch." April said softly. 

Leo nodded, then got up. "I'll go tell the rest of the guys the good news. Thanks April." He said, and then walked into the kitchen. A few seconds later, they could all hear Raphael's booming voice. 

"Halleluiah." He peeked his head into the living room. 

"So it is true." He said. "She's asleep. I thought maybe I'd finally gone deaf when I couldn't hear her screamin' anymore." 

"Raph, if you don't shut up, you'll wake her up, and then you'll be the one putting her back to sleep." They heard Leo's hissed whisper from the kitchen. A moment later, Raphael disappeared into the kitchen, too, leaving April and Don alone with a sleeping Lindy. 

"Do you think she'll be OK?" Don asked April quietly. 

"Yeah." April replied. "I think she's just cranky. She's got a cold, and she's sick and miserable and she just couldn't get comfortable. Although," April smiled. "I would like to think that it's just my presence that made her feel better." 

"Maybe it was." Don answered quietly. 

April turned a shocked look to him. "No, it's not, Donnie." She said. 

"Well, either way, thank you." Don said, standing up slowly. "Do you want me to take her and put her to bed?" He asked. "It's just about lunch time." 

April shook her head. "No, that's OK." She said. "I'll hold her for a little while longer." She said. "I just wanna look at her. She's grown so much." April moved a few damp curls from Lindy's forehead. "Then I'll put her in her crib." 

"OK." Don said. "Oh, and April?" He turned back to her. "Thanks again." He said, and then went into the kitchen to join his brothers. 

April looked down at the sleeping child. She smiled. She'd missed her so much. April stood, then took Lindy into her bedroom, the sun shining through the window, and placed her into her crib. She looked down at the sleeping child. April blinked as a few tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away quickly, and stood, straightening her shirt. She wiped her face once more before heading out to the kitchen. Can't have the guys asking too many questions. 

*************

"So, what did they need at work this time?" 

April looked up at Leo. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, isn't that why you said you couldn't come up for the past two weeks?" He asked. 

April's eyes widened. That's right! She'd told them she couldn't leave work because they needed her. 

"Uh, it was nothing. Just stupid stuff they could've done without me." She mumbled. 

She looked up to see Leo still looking at her. She groaned inwardly. He was going to figure out that something wasn't right. Time to change the subject. 

"So." April began, her voice stronger than before. "Did you hear? Those Foot members they caught are going to jail. I guess some of them had some other stuff they were wanted for, too, so they'll be in jail for a little while, at least." 

"That's great." Don said, then looked at Leo. 

"It sure is." Mike said, then turned to look at Lindy, who'd been much more sociable since her nap and another dose of medicine. 

"Isn't that a great birthday present?" He asked her, then turned back to look at April. "You are coming back up next week, aren't you?" He asked. 

"Yeah." Don added. "It wouldn't be that same if you weren't here for her birthday." 

April smiled, both in relief because they weren't questioning her about where she'd been anymore, and because she was genuinely excited about Lindy's upcoming party. 

"Well, I'll be sure to be here." She said. "Work or no. I'm coming back up on Wednesday, to help get things set up and visit for a few days." 

"Cool." Mike said, then dug into his food. Lindy took one look at him, then at her own food, then stuck her hand into her bowl, and shoved her food covered fist into her mouth. 

Leo and April laughed. Don groaned. Raph grunted in what seemed to be a held in laugh. Mike kept on eating, oblivious to the sounds around him. 

"Oh no." Don groaned, putting his head in his hands as Lindy continued to shove food in her mouth by the fistfuls. "Of all the people to emulate." 

"Maybe we can get them matching bibs." Raph said, grinning. 

Everyone at the table let out a laugh then, except for Mike and Lindy, who turned confused looks at first to the others, and then to each other. 

April laughed as she pushed off from the table and stood. "Well, all this excitement aside, I'm going for a walk, guys. Enjoy the sun and the fresh air. See you in a bit." 

"Bye April." They chorused, and went back to their food. Leo glanced up as April passed the window, pulling her coat tighter around her. His eyes narrowed in thought. She was still hiding something. 

****************

April sighed, opening the door to the kitchen. A nice hot shower, then a steaming cup of tea and then she'd head up to bed. 

She'd just put the teabag into the water when a voice startled her. 

"What is it?" 

She jumped, spinning around to find out who was there. 

"L-Leo?" She gasped, almost panting. When had she become so jumpy? 

He walked slowly out of the shadows, his arms crossed. "What is it, April? You're hiding something. I know it." 

"No." She shook her head. "No, no I'm not, I…" 

"Why are you lying to us?" 

"I… I'm not. I'm not." She backed through the door, and into the living room. 

But he followed her. 

"We know something's up, April. Now tell us what it is." 

Raph and Don looked over from where they were watching TV, and Mike looked up from the floor, where he was playing with Lindy. Don shut off the television. 

"We can't help you unless you tell us." Mike said softly. 

"You guys all think that I'm hiding something?" April asked. 

Raph and Don shared a glance. Raph nodded, and Mike did reluctantly. 

"Fine, don't help me." April cried. "You don't always tell me everything, you know. You don't have to know every aspect of my life." She looked down, blinking back tears. 

Her outburst silenced them, and when she looked back up a few moments later, they were all looking away from each other. She caught Don's eyes, and was despaired to see the hurt in his eyes. 

"We can't help you unless you tell us." Leo repeated softly. 

"It's nothing alright?" April said. "It's over." 

"Not if it's still bothering you this much." Raph said, standing. 

She sighed, turning away from them. Raph growled in frustration. 

"She doesn't want our help? Fine." He said, sitting back down. 

Don stood timidly. "April, if you don't want to tell us, that's fine. But if you do, we won't be mad." 

She looked over at him, and her resolve broke. 

"OK, it's really nothing guys, I…" She looked away, sighing. "The Foot knew it was me that turned them in." She could see them all visibly stiffen, and she continued on hurriedly. "But it's OK, because they're all in jail now." She smiled, a small smile. "See? No biggie." 

There was silence in the room for a few moments, with the exception of Lindy's babbling. Finally, Mikey's face broke into a grin. "Right." He said. "No biggie. They're all in jail. No worries. Right guys?" He turned to his brothers, shooting them a look. 

"Right." Donatello said slowly. "And we're not gonna make a big deal out of it, are we?" 

Leo looked down, clenching his jaw for a moment, then looking back up. "Nope. Not gonna say a thing." 

They all looked at Raph. He was glaring at April. She felt her face grow hot under his gaze. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered. 

"Fine." He said. "Just don't expect us to help you with every little thing anymore. " 

"Raph!" Leo protested. 

"What?" He turned to Leo. "We can choose not to help her all the time." He turned to April. "But you don't pick and choose what we deserve to know." 

"Raph…" Leo began again. 

"We needed to know that. That was important." He turned to face April. "And she didn't tell us!" 

"I… I didn't mean to…" April began, but was cut off. 

"It doesn't matter if you meant to or not." Raph spat out. 

"I'm sorry." April said. Tears welled in her eyes, and a few slipped down her cheeks. She hated when he got like this, not stopping until she got really upset. 

"Sorry doesn't always cut it…" 

"Will you stop it?" Raph and Leo both turned a shocked look to Don, who had takes a few steps toward them. "She said she was sorry. What else do you want from her?" He put a hand on April's shoulder, squeezing it sympathetically. 

"From her? Nothin'." Raph said. "What I need is for the rest of you to stop babying her." 

"Babying her?!" Don said. 

"Yeah, Don. She was wrong. So let her deal with the consequences…" 

"What we need," Don said, speaking carefully. "Is for you to go and cool off." 

Mike drew in a breath. Raph's eyes flashed dangerously. But he said nothing, just stormed out, slamming the door as he left. 

April wiped her eyes furiously. 

"I hate when he does that!" She said. "He just knows how to push all my buttons. I hate crying." 

She looked back up when she felt Don's hand leave her shoulder. He moved to stand next to Leo and Mike. 

"You really should have told us, April." Don said softly. 

"I know. I _know_!" She rubbed a hand over her face and then through her hair. "But they are in jail." She continued. "Please believe me when I tell you that." 

Leo sighed, rubbing a weary hand over his forehead. "We do, April, OK?" He said softly. "It's just… Raph doesn't like being lied to. And to be honest, I don't either." 

"I know… If I had ever thought that…"

"That's the problem, April." Leo interrupted. "You didn't think. Some of the littlest details are the most important. They're the ones that we need to know." He sighed, rubbing his neck. "God, I'm sounding like Raph." He muttered. He looked back over to April. "Look, it's OK. Like you said, nothing happened, right? So your hunch was good." He grinned at her. "And with that, I'm going to bed." 

April walked forward, grabbing his arm. He looked back up at her, surprised. 

"Leo, I… I'm sorry for keeping it from you for so long." 

He smiled, a small smile. "And I'm sorry for pressuring you for so long." 

She grinned back. "No you're not." 

He simply smiled, then turned to the others. "Night guys." 

"Night!" They called after him. 

Mike walked up to April, taking her by the arm. "C'mon, April. I've got your room all ready for you." 

"Thanks, Mikey." She said, then turned to Don. "Night, Don." 

He smiled and nodded his 'goodnight', then Mike took her up the stairs. 

She got to the door and took a few steps inside, then stopped, and turned to face Mike. 

"Mike?" 

"Yeah?" He looked at her, his smile faltering at the look on her face. 

'Maybe… Maybe it's not a good idea for me to stay the weekend." She said, and looked up at him. He frowned, and she continued. "I'll give some time for Raph to cool off, and just… get out of your way for awhile." 

Mike nodded. "If you want…" He said. "But you are coming back up, right?" 

She nodded. "Yeah. Wednesday." He grinned and she finally grinned back. "You guys have your… thing on Thursday in the morning, then her party's later that night." 

He grinned and nodded. "Yep."

"Thanks Mikey." She hugged him, then turned to go into the bedroom. "I'll see you then. Tell the others that I said I'm sorry again, and that I'll see them on Wednesday." 

He nodded, then left, going back down the stairs. April sighed, leaning back against the wall. She may have really done it this time. They were mad, all of them. Not that she could blame them, of course. She sighed again, and sat down on the bed, her head in her hands, waiting for the last of them to go to sleep so she could leave. Wednesday was going to be an interesting day… 

To be continued….


	20. Chapter 18 Thinking Outside The Playpen

Disclaimer - Don't own any of them but Lindy. 

A/N - OK, I have to give credit where credit is due. I have to give big thanks to Brinatello, who, if it weren't for, this chapter wouldn't have happened. She had the brilliant idea, and shared it with me, and I only hope that my writing of it lives up to her brilliant thinking. Thanks, Brina, you're awesome!

Chapter 18 - Thinking Outside The Playpen

"I don't know how we let it get so dirty…" Don scrambled to pick up blankets and books that were scattered on the floor. 

"I'll tell you." Raph grunted, lifting the chair up so he could detangle a toy that was caught underneath it. "One word: Mikey." 

"Hey!" Mike protested from his place underneath the side table. "It's not my fault that April decided to come back a day early. 

"It's all our fault it's this messy." Leo said, dusting the lights. "Now let's just hurry, please?" 

Raph grunted in response to that, but continued cleaning. 

"You're gonna cheer up a bit before she gets here, aren't you?" Mike looked over at Raph. 

"What?" Raph looked over at Mike. 

"Well, you've just been a tad grumpy the last few days and…" Mike was cut off by a look from Leo. 

"That's it." Raph threw down the toy he held, which made a squeaking noise as it hit the ground. "You guys can finish up. I'm obviously not in the _mood _for cleaning." With another glare towards Mike, he walked out the door, slamming it as he left. 

Mike winced when the door slammed. He looked back to see Leo glaring at him and Don shaking his head, looking at the ground. 

"What?" He asked innocently. 

Leo just sighed. 

"Nothing." Don said. "Let's just get this all cleaned up, huh? I don't want to be on my feet all day…" 

"Your leg bothering you?" Leo turned to his brother in concern. 

Don shrugged. "It's sore. But that's to be expected… I'm just putting more pressure on it for the first time in a month…" He shifted to get more comfortable. 

It was quiet for a few moments before Don began talking again. 

"You know, I hope April doesn't think we're mad at her." Don mused thoughtfully. "She left so quickly last week." 

"You don't think that has anything to do with Mr. Personality in the other room now, do you?" Mike joked. 

Leo threw Mike a look. He sighed, looking down. "I may have been a bit hard on her, too." He said. "But I really don't want her to get hurt." He shook his head. 

"I really think it was the shock of her saying it, that's all." Don added. 

Leo nodded, then looked around the room. "Guys, I think we've pretty much got this cleaned." 

Mike whooped, then threw his arms into the air. "All right! And we still have hours before she gets here. I'll see you guys in a bit." With that, he ran out of the room. 

Leo and Don looked at each other and shook their heads, smiling. 

****************************

Michaelangelo winced as Lindy let forth another earsplitting scream. 

"Did you try that thing she chews on?" He asked, looking over at Don, who was pacing with Lindy, and Leo, who was following behind, trying to make Lindy laugh; anything so she'd stop crying. 

"Yes." Don said, patting her back some more. He was beginning to get anxious. Why wouldn't she stop crying? Then his eyes flicked to the door. Raph already was in a bad mood. If Lindy kept this up… 

"Come on, angel." He whispered soothingly to her. She took a deep breath and let out another yell. 

Don looked at Leo, who shrugged. 

Mike stood, giving them another look. "I'm getting a headache." He said. "I need some aspirin." He turned to leave, then looked back. "Want me to bring the bottle down?" He smirked, then left to go up the stairs and into the bathroom. "Maybe we should be buying it wholesale!" He called back down the stairs. 

Don shook his head and looked back over at Leo. "Leo, look, you really don't need to be here. Nothing's calming her down and I don't want you to have to …" 

But Don cut off as the door opened. 

Raph came through, his eyes narrowed. 

"That's it." He growled as he stomped through the room. "I can't take it any more." He reached Don, who by now had stopped pacing and was staring at his brother. 

"She's drivin' me nuts." Raph said, then grabbed Lindy from Don and went into the kitchen. 

Don turned, wide-eyed, and looked at Leo. 

A few moments later, Lindy's cries quieted and the house was silent. 

Don opened his mouth once, then closed it. 

He looked at Leo. "What do you think happened?" He asked. 

Leo just shook his head. 

They both turned as Raph came back into the living room and handed Lindy to Don. He looked down at her. Her face was still red, but she was quiet, and she rubbed her eyes sleepily. 

Just then Mike came bounding back down the stairs. 

"Hey, all right!" He exclaimed, walking back over to the couch. "She's not crying anymore." 

"You're right." Don looked down at Lindy, and then back up at Raph. "How… How did you do that?" 

Raph stopped on his way back to the kitchen. "I, uh… It was nothing." He said, then turned to leave again. 

"What did you do, Raph." Leo said, stopping Raph in his tracks again. He sighed and turned back to face his brothers. 

"Look, it was nothing, Leo. I just, uh…" He then mumbled something that the others couldn't hear. 

"What?" Leo crossed his arms. 

"I just…" Raph sighed again. "Look, if you put whiskey on baby's gums, it'll stop 'em from hurting when they teeth*." 

The silence in the room was deafening. It was broken, however, when Mikey dropped the bottle of aspirin that he was carrying. 

"You… You what?" Don stuttered. "You gave… you gave her _whiskey_?" Raph looked at him. His face had gone pale and he looked as if he were about to drop Lindy. 

"Well, I didn't let her drink it, if that's what you mean." Raph shook his head. "Look, you just put a little on your finger, then rub it on their gums… I read it somewhere." 

Don put a hand up to his mouth. 

Raph looked to Leo, who looked as if he were trying very hard to figure out something to say. 

"You… you read it somewhere." Leo said finally. 

"Yeah." Raph retorted. 

"Where, on the back of some bottle? Raph, how could you do something like this?" 

"What?" Raph said, confused. "Look, all I did was try and help her… It didn't do any harm…" 

"Help her? _Help_ her?" Leo shook his head. "Help her what? Become a drunk like…" 

"But it worked." Mike interrupted. "And look, she's sleeping. Non-traditional or not, his method worked." 

Leo shook his head. 

"Where did you read this, Raph?" Don asked softly. 

"Some book." Raph said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not enough to hurt her, Don." He shook his head and his voice dropped a little in volume. "You have to know that I'd never do anything to hurt her." 

Don nodded. "I… I do. It was just a bit of a shock to hear it, that's all." He grinned. "I didn't mean to sound angry, Raph, I just…" 

Raph waved him off. "Ah, forget about it." He glanced at Leo, who was still looking at him with an angry look in his eye. 

"And besides, I got to tick off Leo here without even saying anything directly to him…" He turned to Leo. "Hey, Leo, you know, that remedy can work for grown up babies, too. If you need any help…" Raph smirked, then went back into the kitchen. 

Finally, Leo exploded. "I can't believe that he…" 

"He was reading up on finding ways to help her, Leo." Don interrupted. 

Leo stopped. 

"Unconventional or not, his reasons for doing it were purely noble." Don grinned. 

"I can't believe it worked." Mike said, flopping down on the couch. 

Leo looked at Don. "And you're not mad." 

Don shook his head. "No. I, well, I was. But, I think that was more the shock of hearing it than anything. But, I trust him, implicitly. If he says that it won't hurt her… that little amount won't, Leo." 

Leo simply 'hmmmed' and looked at the kitchen door. 

"I wonder what other tricks he knows." Mike sat up suddenly. He stood, then walked over to the kitchen door. "Who knew Raph was 'Nanny of the Year?'" 

"Dare you to call him that to his face." Don smiled. 

"Really?" Mike perked up. "And if I do…?" 

Don thought a moment. "If you do and live through it?" He said thoughtfully. "Then I'll tell you what you win." 

Mike grinned wickedly and went through the kitchen door. 

Don looked toward the window. "Hey, I hear a car. I think April's here." 

Don walked up to Leo. "Think Mike's gone out the side door, or through the window?" When Leo said nothing, Don sighed. "Look, Leo. Raph knew something we didn't. No big deal. I …" He stopped, as the kitchen door re-opened. 

Mike reappeared, looking a little flustered. 

"Well?" Don turned towards him. "Did you tell him?" 

Mike nodded wordlessly. 

"And…?" Don prompted. 

"Well, first he threatened to kill me, but…" 

"But what?" Don asked, getting exasperated. 

"But then I swear I saw a smile on his face…" 

To be continued….

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A/N - OK, OK. No one flame me here. That does indeed work on teething babies. And while I've never tried it myself, it does work. So I'm not condoning any way-underage drinking…


	21. Chapter 19 Forgiveness is Divine

A/N - Finally, another chapter! Had a bit of trouble with this one. My mind didn't want to stay on this chapter, rather, it wanted to go through the upcoming ones. So expect updates soon, since the next few chapters are pretty much already written. Plus some of the far future chapters. My mind was wandering a bit far this month… Anyway, I was trying to go through April's various emotions with all this; hopefully I got them down. Enjoy!

Chapter 19 - Forgiveness is divine…

April got out of her car and shut the door. She stood for a moment, looking at the house. Her best friends, her family was in there and she… didn't want to go in there. Their whole relationship was based on trust; a very powerful trust, and she'd betrayed them. Then, a swell of anger rose in her. Well, why did she have to tell them everything? They'd kept things from her before, hadn't they? She'd run over this fact in her head the whole ride up, and most of the week before. The anger abated after awhile. But she didn't forget. 

Now, she was nervous. Still a bit angry, though. Maybe she always would be; maybe this would change something between them. That was what she was the most worried about. Things changing. But, she realized. They had to change. If things didn't change, they could never move forward, go ahead. Go on with their lives. This should be forgiven… 

With that thought, she walked up to the door and opened it. 

Leo, Mike and Don looked over as the front door opened, and April walked through. 

"Hey, guys." She smiled, then walked over to Don. "She sleeping?" She asked, looking down at Lindy. 

He nodded, and she whispered back. "OK, then I won't wake her."

"Wait here, I'll be right back." Don said, then left to put Lindy in her crib. 

"So." April stood there uncomfortably. "What's up, guys?" 

It was silent for a few moments, almost unbearably so, until Leo spoke. 

"Where should we start?" He said, then grinned. 

She grinned back, then he continued. 

"Look, April." Leo began. "We're… I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I should never assume that we should know everything about you. We don't have the right." He looked down, shaking his head. "You've done far too much for us to be… demanding that you tell us everything." 

April smiled. "You've been going over that all week, haven't you?" She whispered. 

"Was it that noticeable?" He said, then grinned back. 

She walked forward, not knowing what else to do, and hugged him. "Thank you." She whispered in his ear. 

He stood, surprised momentarily, then hugged her back. 

"No." He said back. "It's us who should be thanking you." 

She broke away, then went and hugged Mike. She really wanted to forgive them; they'd apologized and all… She hugged Mikey tighter as she realized that she wasn't as mad anymore… 

"Hey, I leave the room for a few minutes and I miss out on all the hugs?" Don said, from the doorway. 

She walked up to him and hugged him, too. 

"Jeez, we're disgusting, do you know that?" Mikey grinned. "Not that I mind, you know." He added quickly. "I'm always up for a hug or two… or ten." He reached for April again, who opened her arms and hugged him again.

She laughed, then looked around. "Someone's missing." 

Don nodded. "You noticed. We had a bit of a… miscommunication earlier, but I think he went for a walk."

April nodded. "What happened?" She asked. 

Don looked at Mike, who grinned. 

"Well, let me tell you, I've never seen a better reaction…"

******************************

Raphael stood, his arms crossed over the fence, looking over the field at nothing particular. He heard someone approaching, then felt as someone came to stand next to him, and moved over a bit. 

"Hey." April said softly. 

"Hey." He replied. 

"Look," April said, then stopped. "I'm sorry, you know. About last week. But you have to understand…" 

He held up a hand to silence her. "Look, April. I know I overreacted. I do. And I wanna apologize for it." He looked over at her and grinned. "Yeah, I know, I know, a rare occurrence." He looked back over the field. "But seriously," He continued. "It was so hard losing… him… That when you said they knew it was you, I guess I just…" He stopped, shaking his head. 

She moved over closer to him, and placed her hand on his shoulder, urging him to go on. 

"That I just…" He took a deep breath. "I just got scared, April." He looked away from her. "Scared that they would get you too…" 

"Raph…" She whispered. She shook her head. "You're too good to me, you know that?" She said softly, then bit her lip. "You guys are… you know, not many people get to choose their families. But I'm so glad that you chose me." She leaned over and hugged him. He stiffened at first, and then hugged her back. 

After a moment, they broke apart, and went back to looked out past the field, into the forest. 

"So," April began after a moment. "I hear you got yourself a new drinking buddy…" 

He looked over at her and smiled. "They told you, huh?" 

"Oh, Mikey was all too happy to share all the details." She said. 

"Figures." He muttered, then grinned a little. 

She laughed and nudged him with her elbow. 

He grinned back until he couldn't hold back the laugh anymore and he let out a hearty chuckle. 

They stood there, laughing at nothing, until the sun had almost set. Then they walked home together, silent, but comfortable. 

************************

April's thoughts raced as she stood in the bedroom, changing her sweater after returning from her walk with Raph. He'd disappeared into the kitchen as soon as they'd walked into the house again. She sighed. She'd done it again. Just given in and forgiven them. Not that she didn't want to forgive them; she did. But sometimes it bothered her that she did it so readily, so quickly. When had she become such a pushover? 

She shook her head, clearing the thought from her mind, and walked downstairs. She was getting way too emotional for her own good… She entered the kitchen, and all four of them stopped talking. She looked over at them and smiled. "Hey, guys. What's up?" 

Mike looked over at Don and smiled. "Well, to welcome you back home…" He began. 

"Your own home." Leo added. 

Mike nodded and continued. "We decided to treat you with dinner. Cooked and served by _moi_,of course." He bowed. 

"And I'm supervising." Leo grinned. 

Don raised his hand. "And I'm helping by staying _away _from the kitchen." 

"Good idea." April said, winking at him. She turned to Raph, looking at him. "And what are you doing?" She asked, smiling. 

"Helping Donnie stay away from this mess…" He said, and they all grinned. "Actually, me and Donnie are settin' the table." 

Don nodded. "We're taking care of the presentation portion of tonight's dinner rather than the actual preparation part of it." He smiled, then added. "Upon… numerous requests." 

April laughed. "Well, how can a girl refuse? You guys are doing the dishes, too, right…?" 

They grinned, and she returned the look. 

"OK, now, get out." Mikey gently shoo-ed her from the kitchen. She took a seat in the living room. April stared out the window, watching as the last of the leaves hung on, through the cold that was quickly approaching with the season. 

She wasn't angry, she decided. They were just being protective of her. She was the only other family they had now, she realized sadly. And they wanted to protect her. She grinned sadly. 

"Are you smiling at me, or are you lost in April-land?" 

She looked up quickly to see Mikey standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his cheat and grinning. 

She shook her head lightly. "Lost in my own thoughts today." She said, getting up and walking towards him. 

He shook his head as he ushered her into the kitchen. "You're hanging out with Donnie _way _too much…" 

************************

Dinner had gone well, and she'd gone to bed feeling relieved. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. 

The next morning, was more like old times. Hectic. After getting the dishes cleaned and put away (always an adventure), April was busy getting her last minute instructions and trying to push the rest of them out the door. 

"And when she cries…" Don began, but was cut off. 

"Donnie, I know." April laughed. "Lunch at 11. Nap at two. Diaper and clothing changes as needed." 

"Yeah, but…" 

"Don. You're going to be a half mile away, if that. I think I can handle it." 

"OK." He said uncertainly. "It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't know how she'll react…" 

A few hours later, April sat down at the kitchen table wearily. Lindy had reacted, all right. She'd reacted until she'd cried herself to sleep. 

April put her head down onto the table wearily. She had such a headache. She rubbed her temples for a moment, unable, or unwilling, to get up and move. Finally, she decided that if she didn't get some aspirin soon, her head might explode. _And the guys had done such a good job of cleaning the house up, too… _She thought to herself wryly. 

*****************************

Almost an hour later, April busied herself in the kitchen. Her headache was mostly gone, and she began making supper. 

She was almost done when she heard a knock at the door. She froze, panic slowly rising in her, despite herself. Who would be there? She hadn't even heard a car. 

April walked towards the door, and looked at the window at the top of the door. All she could see was some black hair. _Probably a salesman. _She tried to tell herself. She wasn't sure if she was glad the guys were practicing farther away today or not. She didn't want them to be seen, but… 

She took a deep, calming breath, then slowly opened the door and peeked her head around it. "Hello?"

"I was wondering how long it was gonna take you to come and open the door." 

"Oh my God…" 


	22. Chapter 20 Revisiting the Past

Chapter 20 - Revisiting the Past

April pulled the door open wider, not believing her eyes. After all this time… After everything that had happened… She stared up at him. "Casey?!" 

************************************

"Aw, Leo." Mike sat on the ground, playing with a dandelion he had just plucked out of the ground. "Do we hafta do it again?" 

"Yes." Leo said, patiently. "We haven't been practicing more than twice a week, three times at the most." 

"Yeah, you know, I'm sure the Foot are just hiding out in the cornfield or somethin', just waiting to attack." 

Leo sighed. "Raph…" 

Don held a hand up, silencing them. "Guys." He said. "I think I heard a car." 

Mike perked up. "Maybe it's the pizza guy." He said, smiling. "Maybe April ordered in!" He stood.

Raph rolled his eyes, and Leo sighed. 

"Mikey," Don started. "The pizza guys don't deliver out here anymore, remember? They stopped that when they redid their routing system. Same as the chicken place. And we're not getting pizza, anyway." He grinned. "Recall the frozen pizza incident?" 

Mike grinned. "I've never seen April move so fast in my life." He sat back down, laughing. "That was the last time she let you touch the oven…" 

Don grinned. "You don't think that was an _accident_, do you?" 

*************************************

"What are you doing here?" She hissed, shutting the door behind her, and leaning back against it. 

"What, I'm not allowed to come and see you?" He asked, that mischievous, boyish smile that he always used on her plastered on his face. Although, she noted, he at least had the decency to look a little worried. 

"No." She said, then again, this time more forcefully. "No, Casey, I don't think it's a good idea…" 

"Look," He began, and the smile faded, a serious look on his face that he rarely showed. "I'm sorry, April. I really am, but it got too heavy for me, and you know that I don't handle heavy very well…" 

"You… you don't handle…" She stammered, anger bubbling up inside of her. "You just ran off! You left me! Do you know how that made me feel?" 

"I said I was sorry." He repeated, almost surprised at her anger. 

"Good." She said. "God, Casey, you left me alone. I had no one to go to. No one. And then you left…" 

"You didn't tell them?" He asked, now truly surprised. 

She looked down, then back up at him. "No. How could I?" She looked around for a moment before continuing. "My God, Casey, Splinter had just died. Did you think that I could lay that on them, too?" 

"Well, I didn't know." He frowned. "You tell them everything anyway." 

"Oh, don't you start on that." She said, glaring at him. "Don't try to make this about them. I don't know _why_ you insist on feeling threatened by them…" 

"I never said that." He shot back. "You were the one who always made it about them…"

"This is _not _about them." She hissed. "This is about you, and how you just left me, the one time I really needed you." She looked away, her resolve cracking. "I really did. And then you were gone, and…" She cut off, looking down for a moment, and he said nothing, just waited. She looked back up at him, and it was a look of sadness on her face now, tears filling her eyes. 

"Do you know how that made me feel?" She asked. "That I had to deal with that alone? That you just left, like you didn't care."

"I never said I didn't care." Casey started.

"You didn't have to say it, Casey. It showed. You didn't care then. Not about us. Not about me." She stopped again, then looked back up at him. "God, Casey. That was your baby, too." 

***********************************

Leo sighed as the talking continued, and not the practice. At this rate, they'd never get back to training. 

"Remember the look on her face?" Mike continued. 

"Well, who knew that cheese was so hard to get out of…" Don started, but cut off when Raph held up his hand. 

"Does anybody notice." He started. "That the car we heard never left?" 

***********************************

"_Could _have been, April. You were never pregnant." 

She scowled. "But I thought I was. And for you to decide that the thought that I might have been, then finding out that I _wasn't_ was too much for you to handle…"

"Look, April, I told you…" 

"Don't. _Don't _do this to me. Don't you give me this 'I can't deal with heavy crap' line, Casey. Because it stopped working on me a long time ago." She ran a hand through her hair. "We're grown-ups, Casey. We were when it happened, and we should have been able to deal with it like grown-ups." She shook her head. "But I think I'm the only one who's the adult here. And I don't want to have to put up with you." 

He was silent for a long moment. "You're right." He nodded. "I'm an idiot, alright? Is that what you wanted to hear? I always have been, and I always will be." He looked down. "Can I at least stay here for a few nights? Until I can get a hotel or something?" 

She sighed. "Well, I won't let you sleep on the street. Although I should. But the guys would probably like to see you. And if you were here and didn't stay with us, they might get a little suspicious." She sighed again. "You know, Raph really missed you when…"

He nodded. "I don't deserve to be forgiven. By any of you. Especially you." 

She nodded. "And it's gonna take a long time, Casey. But this is a first step…" 

"Casey?!" They both whipped around to find the four of them walking up to them. 

April wiped her eyes quickly. 

"Hey, Mikey." Casey put a smile on his face, and walked down the steps to greet them. "Raph, Leo. Ooh, Don, what happened to you?" Casey moved over to talk to Raph and Leo, and Don looked over to April, concern on his face. She shook her head and he shrugged. 

She walked down the stairs. "I'm going for a walk." She brushed past them. "Donnie, Lindy will be getting up from her nap soon." Then she walked behind the house. 

Casey turned to Don. "Nap? Jeez, what were you guys up to while I was gone?" 

***************************************

"And she's yours?" Casey asked Don, peering down at the baby in Leo's arms. After that afternoon's conversation, this was the last place he actually wanted to be. 

"Well," Don muttered, "Not really…" 

"Raised her since she was, like, a day old." Mike said proudly, standing behind the couch and making faces at Lindy, making her giggle and laugh. 

"Wow." Casey muttered. "Don, you old dog, I never woulda thought…" 

"Not on a molecular level…" Don continued mumbling. 

"So, who's the lucky girl, Donnie-boy?" 

Don visibly stiffened at this remark. 

"When can I meet her?" 

Leo looked at Don, then at Mike. Then he returned his gaze to Lindy, trying not to get into the conversation. 

"You can't." Don said. "She's dead." Casey flinched at this, but Don continued. "And she's not really mine. She was left to me from my friend, who's dead now, and nobody ever knew she was pregnant." 

Casey frowned. "Yikes." 

Mike looked at Don. He was keeping his eyes trained on the ground, not looking up at any of them. Mike knew that look well. It was the look Don usually had when he was trying to turn invisible; and make sure no one knew a conversation bothered him. 

Leo looked up and shared a glance with Mike. 

"Hey, Donnie." Leo began. "Lindy here needs a diaper change. You mind?" 

Don shook his head no, then got up, grabbing Lindy and leaving the room, shooting Leo a grateful look. 

"Jeez, I can't say anything right today." Casey muttered. 

Mike and Leo shared another look, and Mike sighed. 

******************************

April sat in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Tears rolled down her face. 

Why did it bother her so much? She'd never dreamed that seeing him again would do this to her. 

__

Then again, you never thought you'd see him again, did you? The thought ran through her head. 

A knock on the door made her jump. 

"Y- Yes?" She called out, trying to make her voice sound normal. 

"Hey, April." It was Don. 

"I think I left the wipes in there… Um, it can wait, but…" 

"No, wait a second, I'll bring them to you." She wiped her face furiously, then looked around for the wipes. Finding them, she stood up. 

She opened the door to find the hallway empty. "Don?" She called. 

"In here." 

She followed his voice to Leo's bedroom. 

"Here." She handed him the box of wipes. "Does Leo know you're doing this in here?" 

He grinned, a small grin. "Well, he won't, if you don't say anything. I'll only be a second… There." He picked Lindy up, then turned to April. "OK. Thanks." 

She nodded, and they began walking back to the kitchen, Don a few steps ahead of April. Suddenly he stopped, and moved back a few steps, a few feet away from the door to the living room. 

April frowned, then moved up a few more steps. She opened her mouth, then closed it, when she heard a few voices coming from the room. 

"That's really good of him, you know." It was Casey, April thought, then frowned more deeply. 

"But, you know, not to sound like the downer here or anything…" Casey continued. "But isn't it gonna be hard when she's older and you guys're…" 

"Casey!" Suddenly, April stood in front of them, her hands in fists on her hips. 

"What?!" He cried, looking around. Raph and Mike were looking away, and Leo was looking down. 

"You are more of an insensitive lout then I ever knew! What gives you the right…?" 

"The right to what?" Casey stood, over the shock of his initial surprise at her outburst. "I can't question anything anymore? I'm not allowed to ask my friends some important questions?" 

"Not if you're gonna be a jerk about it, no!" She cried, throwing her hands up in the air. She was over-reacting and she knew it. But right then, it felt pretty good to be yelling at him.

Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder. 

"April." Don said softly. "Let it go." 

"No, he…" 

"Let it go. He has a right to question." 

"That's right, I do." Casey interjected. 

Raph sighed. He stood. "Casey. Casey, lets go for a walk, huh? Catch up on old times, how 'bout?" 

Casey shook his head. "Sure. Sure thing. Let's go, Raph." 

They left, and the rest of them were silent for a moment, no one looking at anyone else. 

"I… I'm sorry guys. I shouldn't have yelled…" April put a hand onto her mouth, then ran from the room. 

Silence filled the room again, before Michaelangelo stood. 

"Hey, Don. I'd say it's just about bedtime for cute little girls." He gently lifted a drowsy Lindy from Don's arms. "I'll put her to bed." 

Don nodded, a slight frown on his face. 

Leo stood then, also. "I think I'm going to hit the showers before Raph gets back." 

Don nodded, and Leo sighed. He put a hand onto his shoulder. 

"Don, you OK?" He asked. 

Don nodded. "You go to bed. I'll be up a bit longer." Then he left the room, walking out the front door. 

Leo sighed. Great. Just what he needed. 

*********************************

"I'm sorry, Raph." Casey kicked a stone in front of them. "I shouldn't have said anything." 

"No, you shouldn't have." Raph agreed. 

"Well, I mean, I know. But I just… it kinda slipped…" 

Raph nodded. "It's not like none of us never thought about it." He looked away. "We just never said it out loud." 

"I'm sorry." 

Raph waved his hands dismissively. "So," He said as they continued walking. "You and April having problems, huh?" 

Casey stiffened at that remark, and started walking faster. "You can say that." He said briskly. 

"Sorry, Casey, man." Raph said, catching up to him. "I didn't think…" 

"It's OK." Casey said. "Let's just head back, huh? It's freezin' out here." 

He walked ahead of Raphael, and took off toward the house, not waiting for Raphael to catch up. Raph walked slower, watching Casey make his way back to the house. There was something definitely up with him… 

**************

Casey stumbled into the kitchen. The heck did he know, about he and April's problems? His eyes snapped up to look at a figure at the table. _Great. _He groaned silently. _April. Just what I needed… _

She glanced up at him, glaring. 

"You had no right…" She began, but he interrupted, rolling his eyes. 

"Jeez, is this about before? Can you let it rest, April?" 

"No I _cannot _let it rest." She said, her voice rising as she stood. "You said some horrible things out there, and I will _not_ have you in my home if you continue to be such a jerk about…" 

"I'm not being a jerk about it! Don't you know that whole thing applies to us, too? They're _turtles, _April. As much as you want to think otherwise, they are. And when we're dead and gone, they'll still be young. They'll forget about us, because they'll live for… who knows how long, and…" 

"Shut up." She growled, tears burning at her eyes. 

He turned away, then looked back at her. "You know, this is why we never could have worked." He moved back over to her. "Because anything I ever said was wrong, while they're freakin' saints! I could never do anything right! Not compared to them." 

"That's not true." She said. 

"Oh, that's not true… Bull, April." He shook his head. "Everything you did revolved around them." 

"Will you stop this?" She cried, standing. "When will you get over yourself? You never should have been jealous of them. But if you want to feel sorry for yourself…" 

"You were the one who made a point of putting them in front of me, April. If I was in trouble, I'd get a lecture, but if, God forbid, _Leo _or _Donnie_ needed a favor, well, let's just drop every other aspect of your life for _them_." 

She turned away from him, not wanting to hear him. 

"You don't wanna hear it, fine." He grabbed the doorknob. "I'm goin' for a walk." 

"Good!" She said, as the door slammed. She looked up a moment later to see Donatello standing in the doorway, mouth open. 

__

Oh, God. How much did he hear? 

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A/N - Before I get flames about Casey, let me say this: I like Casey, I really do. And this is not how he usually is. But there's a lot more going on here that meets the eye, so bear with me (and him) until he gets settled and things get resolved. Which could take a long time… 


	23. Chapter 21 Conversations

Chapter 21 - Conversations

April looked over as Donatello walked silently into the kitchen. She felt her face go red, wondering how much of her fight with Casey he'd heard. 

Don walked over to the table. He looked at April. "We're not really the reason that you and Casey broke up, were we." He asked, but it really wasn't a question. 

She shook her head. "No." 

He smiled faintly and sat down. "Good." He looked over at her. "I didn't know I was such a threat."

"Don't be silly." She said automatically, then stopped as his smile froze and she realized what she'd said. "Oh, God, Donnie, that's not what I meant. I mean, I…" She stuttered, feeling her face go red. She sighed. "I can't say anything right today…" She looked back at him. "Casey always liked to blame others for his own… for _our _problems." 

He waved his hands dismissively. 

She shrugged. "He can be jealous of our friendship. Let him. I won't give you guys up for him." 

Don smiled again, then walked over and grabbed two mugs, filling them with hot chocolate. He sat down, handing her one. 

They sat together in silence for awhile. April's hands around the steaming mug she held. It was getting colder out, now, and she had her hands wrapped around it in an attempt to warm herself up. 

Donatello sat, looking out the window, lost in a thoughtful haze. 

April looked back down at her cup. "Don?" 

He looked back up at her, smiling. "Yeah?" 

"I uh…" She began, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry… about earlier." She looked down. "He shouldn't have…" 

"Don't apologize for him." Don interrupted softly. He sighed, then continued. "I'm sorry, I just… Look, he has the right to question, April." 

She looked down again, nodding. "I know, but… I shouldn't have acted the way that I did." She said. "I can't believe I did that…" She shook her head. "It's just that… having him here, it bothers me." She smiled weakly. "More than I ever thought that it would." 

Don nodded. "I hadn't realized it was that bad between the two of you." Don said softly. 

She looked down. "Casey and I… we had a lot of problems…" 

He nodded. "Was… the break-up that… bad?" 

She laughed, a short, sarcastic laugh. "Bad…" She said. "Well, you can say that." She said, her voice cracking against her will, and she stood, moving to rinse out her glass. 

She sat back down, and they sat there in silence for a moment. 

"Donnie?" She began, sounding hesitant. She hadn't wanted to bring it up, to talk about it; she really hadn't. But if she didn't talk about it, she just might bust. 

"I don't want to pry." he said, then leaned forward, grabbing her hand. "April, if you don't wanna talk about it…" He began softly, but she cut him off, shaking her heed. 

He nodded. "If you want to." He said, and she nodded mutely, still trying to compose herself. 

After a minute, she took a deep breath, and looked at Don. 

"Casey and I… we were engaged before." April said, looking at Don. He didn't look entirely surprised at this fact, she noted, but a small frown began to form on his face. 

"We didn't tell anyone." She said, looking down. "We weren't engaged long enough to tell anybody anyway…" She looked up. "I really wanted to tell you guys." 

He nodded, and she looked down at her hand in his. 

"There was… something else… I never told you." She looked up at him. 

He looked at her, raising a brow questioningly. 

"Um…" She began, covering her mouth with her other hand. "For awhile there… we thought we were gonna have a baby." 

Now this surprised him. His eyes widened a bit, and his grip on her hand tightened slightly. 

"What happened with that?" He asked carefully. 

"I found out we weren't" She said, looking down. "And then Casey decided he didn't want to get married anymore." 

"Because of that?" Don's eyes were narrowed a bit in thought. 

April shook her head. "It was… a lot of different things. A lot of ups and downs… And then there was that whole thing, and… and when Splinter died… then it was only downs. He did things, and I said things…" She stopped, tears beginning to form in her eyes. When she began talking again, her voice wavered. "We had such bad fights." She whispered. "That it just wasn't worth fighting for anymore." 

She got up from the table, and walked to the counter. Don sat in silence for a moment, letting this all sink in. 

"April…" He began softly, standing. 

"What's wrong with me?" She choked out, turning to look at him again. He was surprised at her outburst, but his face softened. He held out his hands to her. 

"What is it?" She asked again, more softly this time, walking up to him. He took her hands into his own. "Why is it that I still," She began, looking away from him. "I still, sometimes think: how much I wanted it all." She turned towards him, shaking her head. "The husband, the house, the baby…" 

"Because it's what you deserve." Don said softly. He pulled her into a hug. "Just not with him." 

She hugged him tightly, not noticing when the door to the kitchen opened and Leo took a step into the room before stopping, wide-eyed, at the scene before him. 

Don looked over to see Leo looking at them, surprise, followed by concern on his face. Leo opened his mouth to speak, but Don shook his head softly, and pointed down at her, mouthing 'Casey'. 

Leo nodded, then quietly left the room. 

Don waited a moment, unsure of whether to speak or not. 

"Hey," He began softly. "You wanna go for a walk?" 

She nodded silently, into his shoulder. 

He led her outside, where the fresh air seemed to have an effect. April stopped the tears running down her cheeks, and was only slightly sniffling when she began talking again. 

"I lied." She said, and he stopped, looking at her. 

"What?" He asked, looking over at her. 

"I lied." She said again, then sniffed. "When I said that I never told anyone." She kept walking. He began walking again, catching up to her easily. 

"After… everything," She began. "I came here. And I… I told him." 

"Him?" Don asked, confused. 

She looked over at him, smiling slightly. "Splinter… I came and told him everything." She looked down. "And, you know, it really made me feel a bit better. It was comforting, you know?" 

Don nodded. "Yeah." He said. "Even though he's not… here. It's like he is, if that makes any sense." 

April nodded. "Yeah…" 

**********************

Raphael looked out the window, and saw Casey come stomping towards the house. _Uh oh…_ He thought to himself. 

"Hey, Case…" 

"She here?" Casey interrupted. 

"Uh, no." Raph began, and was about to speak again when Casey started talking again. 

"Good." Casey sat down in a huff. He crossed his arms, looking angry. 

"I… haven't seen her in awhile." Raph began slowly. He hadn't seen Casey look this angry in a long time. 

Casey simply grunted in response. 

"Right…" Raph mumbled, then picked the remote up again. 

"She drives me nuts, you know that?" Casey suddenly burst out. 

Raph sighed and turned the volume down. He turned towards Casey. "I was wondering how long it would take before you blew…" 

"Just where does she get the right, anyway? Not like _she _was totally innocent." Casey rambled on, not acknowledging Raphael's words. 

"Then why stay here?" Raph finally burst out. "If you two had such a tough time of it, and you can't stand each other, then why volunteer to be in each other's presence?" 

Casey scowled over at him, and for a moment, Raph thought he was about to jump at him. 

"The inn has no vacancies. And the motel next town over doesn't, either. Somethin' about off-season travelers…" Casey muttered. 

Raph sighed. "Well then, can't you two just… avoid each other for the next few days?" 

Casey snorted softly. "You'd think so, huh?" He scowled again. "But it's like there's some kinda… I dunno, magnet here. Everywhere I turn, there she is." 

Raph frowned. He didn't know what had happened between the two, but April was his friend, too. 

"Then, I dunno," Raph shrugged, tossing the remote over to Casey. "Just try and keep it civil." He said, then left the room. 

"Civil." Casey muttered. "Right…"

***********************

It was almost an hour later when Donatello tried to quietly enter the kitchen. He shut the door softly, then turned… And jumped at the sight of Mike sitting at the kitchen table. 

"Jeez, Mike." Don breathed. "You startled me. What are you doing in here?" 

Mike jerked his thumb towards the door. "Believe me, I'd rather be in here then out there. Casey's in there and he hasn't shut up yet." He put his head in his hands. "Raph abandoned me with him a while ago. I walked in as he was leaving. Now I know why." Mike looked up at his brother. "So where've you been? And where's April?" Mike cocked a brow at his brother, who had a small frown on his face. 

"I've been… walking." Don answered. "And April went for a ride, down into town, I think." 

"Awww, I wish she would've told me! I ate the rest of the ice cream earlier." 

Don smiled slightly at that. "I'm sure we'll get some more stuff here in a day or two…" He said, then went over to the fridge, rummaging through it. "We need some more food in here, anyway." 

"Yeah, especially with another mouth to feed." Mike said. "Maybe that'll shut him up." He grumbled quietly. 

Don visibly stiffened at that, and Mike frowned slightly. 

"Donnie? There something up…?"

"Not a thing. Why?" Don said, then grabbed something from the fridge and shut it. "I'm gonna go check on Lindy. I haven't seen her all day." 

"Leo's been hogging her all day." Mike said. "I think it's to stay away from the hot-head angst factory in our living room." He joked weakly. 

Don didn't say anything else, just left the room, walking up the stairs. 

**********************

April shut the door quietly, knowing full well that any noise would have them all down here in less than a second. She turned, thinking she was successful in getting into the house undetected, when she saw a figure sitting on the couch. 

"Where were you all night?" The figure said. 

She put a hand onto her hip. "You don't own me, Casey. You never did." 

"You're right." He said, standing up. "_I _never did." 

She looked down. "That's not fair, Casey." She said softly. 

"Fair?!" Casey said, looking shocked. "_Fair?! _Oh, the princess wants to talk about fair." 

"Don't call me that." She quietly seethed, but her words went unheard. 

"Let's talk about what's not fair, shall we?" He said, taking a step towards her. She backed up a step at his movement. 

"What's not fair, is spending big bucks on an engagement ring, only to have it _thrown _back in your face less than two months later. Not fair, is never having a _chance _to compete for your fiancée's attentions. Not _fair _is when…" 

"Enough." She said hotly. 

"Oh, I'm not even _started_, sweetheart." 

"No, but you're finished." 

They both looked over at the speaker. Leonardo stood, arms crossed, leaning in the doorway of the kitchen. 

"Do you two have any idea what time it is?" Leo asked, walking a few steps into the room. 

April looked over quickly at the clock. She was surprised at the hour. She looked back at Leo, remembering now Mikey saying that sometimes Leo couldn't sleep at night. 

Casey scowled, but before he could speak, Leo began again. "It's late, and you two are being loud." 

"Sorry, Leo." April said softly. 

Leo simply nodded, then turned to leave. He turned back, and looked at them. "Tomorrow's a… big day, and I hope that you two can remain civil to each other throughout." He looked down, then back up at them again. "If you can't…" He began, then, shaking his head, turned to go out the door. "Good night." He said pointedly at them as he walked up the stairs. 

April nodded, then looked to Casey. "Good night, Casey." She said, then walked up the stairs after Leo. He wanted civil? They could be civil to each other. At least, _she _could be. 

To be continued…

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A/N - I have to apologize for the huge delay in updates! I had a bit of trouble with this chapter. I just couldn't get it to my exact liking. I literally have re-written this chapter at _least _nine times. The characters just wanted to keep talking and say more than I wanted them to… Doncha hate when your characters try to take control of your story away from you? Anyway, yeah, here it is. I hope everyone enjoys a little more of a look into April and Casey's situation. (Of course, not _everything _is here, what would be the fun in that?) There's a lot more to what happened between them than meets the eye. .. 

Next chapter: A sad anniversary… 


	24. Chapter 22 Celebration

Chapter 22 - Celebration 

The mood the next morning was quiet, to say the least. Painfully silent, would be the better term to use. No one seemed willing to speak about the day before, or the day that lay ahead of them yet. 

It was only after Don got up and emptied his plate into the trash, and put it in the sink that anyone said anything. 

"I'd, uh, like to be back by about one." Mike said, speaking up, albeit softly, even for him. "I'd like to get to work on the cake by then." He said, then sat up more. "April's gonna teach me to write and stuff with the frosting." He added brightly. 

"And I'm looking forward to that." April grumbled jokingly. Everyone laughed at that, and Don looked over at April. He was glad to see her looking and acting better; more normal. She caught his eye and gave him a small smile, which he returned. 

That all seemed to break the mood a bit, and everyone visibly relaxed. That lasted until the last occupant of the house entered the kitchen. 

"Morning, guys." Casey yawned, scratching his t-shirt clad chest. He walked up to the table, turned a chair around, and sat, straddling it. 

At his entrance, both Don and Leo visibly stiffened. April suddenly turned very interested in her oatmeal. 

Raph grunted a 'hello', but after no one else answered him, another uncomfortable silence filled the room. 

"Morning Casey." April said suddenly. Everyone looked at her in surprise, even Casey. She looked over at Leo and mouthed 'civil' at him. Leo nodded. She raised her eyebrows and went back to her meal. 

Don kept his position by the sink, fiddling with the newspaper. 

"So, Casey." Raph began, looking oddly at his brothers. "What's on your agenda today? Not like you to be getting up so long before noon." 

"Ah, I figured I'd, uh, walk up with you guys today." Casey looked around. "That is, if none of you guys mind." 

Don's head had snapped up from the paper, and even Mike looked over in shock. 

Raph caught Leo's eye and held it for a moment before turning to look back at Casey. "Sure, man. But we're leaving here pretty soon." He grinned. "Get yer hikin' boots ready." 

"No prob." Casey grinned. He stood, and gulped down the last of the orange juice, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I'll be back in a bit." He said, then left the kitchen. 

Leo and April shared another look. Don noticed, narrowing his eyes in thought. Mike looked slowly from Don to Leo and April. "Anything you two would like to tell us?" He joked, winking at Leo. 

"Just a carry-over from a… discussion last night." April said briskly, looking back down. 

"Mike…" Leo sighed. 

April looked back up, catching Don's eye. He raised an eye ridge at her questioningly. She shrugged and mouthed 'Later' to him. He nodded and turned, setting the paper down. 

Raph sighed. "This talkin' without really talkin' is getting really annoying." 

"Sorry, Raph.' April said, placing a hand on his arm. 

He grunted in response, standing up. "I'm gonna go… get ready. See you guys in a few." 

They all watched him go. 

"What's he got to get ready?" Mike asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had descended on the room. 

Don sighed, looking down. 

"I think we should all take a few moments… to prepare." Leo said, then stood. 

April stood then, also. "I'm gonna get ready then, too." She said, then stopped. "But, you know, if you guys don't want me to come, I'll understand. I don't want to intrude." 

Leo put a hand on her shoulder, smiling slightly. "You're not intruding." He said. "You're welcome to come, you know that." 

She nodded, smiling and obviously pleased. "Well," she began, "I guess I'll get my stuff ready. From what I recall, it's a bit of a walk…" 

*************************

__

Bit of a walk. That's an understatement. Leo thought to himself awhile later. The walk was turning out to be anything but small. They'd gotten started late, and with everyone's nerves already on edge, the tension had begun to come to a head. Every little thing was used as ammunition to blow off a little steam. Even Mike had gotten a few jabs in. 

Leo sighed again. He had placed himself in-between Mike and Raph, who had been on uncommonly thin ice. He looked back at the rest of them. His eyes fell on Donatello, who, despite the weather, was sweating. His eyes filled with concern. 

"Donnie?" he asked, walking back to his brother. "Don, you ok?" 

Don looked back up at Leo. "I'm fine." He said, but his brother's face became even more concerned. 

Leo frowned, looking at his brother closely. He was breathing heavily, and beginning to limp more. 

"Don…" 

"Leo, I'm OK." Don said, looking at him again. Raph and April looked back at them from where they were walking a little further ahead. 

"Everything OK back there?" Raph called back. 

Leo looked to Don again. Don looked towards Raph. "We're OK back here." He called up to Raph, who shrugged, but threw Leo a look before turning back to look ahead. 

"If you're sure…" Leo looked back to Don. "But if you begin to feel any worse…" 

"I'll take a rest." Don finished for him, smiling slightly. 

Leo nodded, and they walked a bit farther in silence. There was almost no talking during the walk; they all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. 

So caught up in their thoughts were they, that most of them were surprised when Raph called back to the rest of them. "We're comin' up on it, guys." 

As soon as the words hit his ears, Leo could feel his heart begin to pound harder. He took a few deep breaths, trying to remain calm. He'd never dreamed he'd be so nervous. 

They made their way into the clearing, stretching their arms and backs from the long walk. 

Don walked over to a large rock, and lowered himself onto it slowly, letting out a small groan. 

Casey plopped onto the ground, pulling off his boots. "You guys weren't kidding when you said to get the hiking stuff ready." 

Mike smiled at that. "Yeah, it's a nice little walk…" 

"You're kidding, right Mikey?" Don groaned again from his seat. 

Mike shook his head. "And I'm even carrying extra weight." He said, trying to undo the strap that held Lindy in the carrier he wore on his back. 

"No more extra weight than usual." Raph joked from where he stood. 

"Funny…" Mike groaned. 

"Guys…" Leo reprimanded softly, then walked up to Mike and lifted Lindy out of the device, then unhooked it for his brother. Lindy awoke, and began to sleepily rub her eyes. She looked around wide-eyed, as she took in the new surroundings. 

"Sorry, Leo." Mike said softly, rubbing his shoulder where the strap had been resting. 

Leo nodded tersely and looked around. Lindy began to fidget and he held on to her, maybe a little tighter than he needed to. Lindy finally gave up, knowing she wouldn't get free, and laid her head back down on his shoulder. 

"I want to say something." Don said suddenly, and they all looked at him. He rose slowly, then walked over to the marker they'd placed for their fallen sensei. He kneeled, with a little difficulty, then turned, and looked over to Leo. 

"Bring her to me." He said, and Leo complied. Then Don turned back to the marker. "Sensei." He breathed. "I want you to meet someone." He shifted Lindy over. "This is… your granddaughter." He said, then swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I know," He said softly. "Never thought you'd hear me say that." He cleared his throat and held her forward a bit. "Her name is Lindy… Well, Rosalind Imogene, actually, but Lindy for short." 

He looked down for a moment before looking back up again. "She's a good baby. Bit of a handful sometimes, but still a good baby. It makes me wonder how you did it; there were four of us! And… it makes me appreciate what you did for us all the more." He looked back at the rest of them. "We all do…" He said softly, then turned back again. "There's lots of stuff I want to ask you; talk to you about." He looked down again, tears burning his eyes. "I miss you so much." He began. "I can only hope, that I can be half as good a father to Lindy, as you were with us." He set Lindy down, and she crawled forward, touching the stone. "I wish you could see her." He whispered. "She is beautiful…" He moved forward, gently touching the stone marker. "I'll make you proud, master. I'll try…" He cut off. "I miss you, father." He said, his voice breaking. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Leonardo looking down at him. Don smiled slightly, and wiped his eyes, then accepted Leo's hand as he reached down to help him get back up. 

Don walked slowly over to the rock he'd sat on before, and lowered himself to it again. 

He felt another hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Raphael smiling slightly at him. He grinned back, and Raph squeezed his shoulder gently before moving away again. 

Mike began walking towards the marker then. "Don't let Donnie fool ya, master…" He said, turning back to look at his brother. "Lindy's hardly a handful… Not if you've grown up with Raph, at least." He grinned, though tears were evident in his eyes, then turned back and sat crossed legged in front of the small stone, and began talking quietly. 

April stood off to the side, watching silently as Mike got up, and Raph went over to kneel before their master's… their father's grave. This was harder than she thought. Though she knew, that no matter how hard it was for her, it was infinitely harder for them. She sniffled and put her arms around herself. 

"You OK?" 

She looked up suddenly at the voice. Casey was standing next to her, looking off into the woods. 

"What do you care?" She said harshly, and louder than she'd meant to. Mike looked over at them from where he stood, and she looked down again. 

"As much as you hate to think so," Casey began softly. "I do still care." He paused for a moment. "Our breakup hurt me as much as it did you." 

"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "It didn't seem like it…" 

"Yeah, well, a lot of things weren't as they seemed, were they?" He muttered. 

She looked over at him, narrowing her eyes. "Not here." She said lowly, her voice dangerous. "Not now." 

He simply shrugged, and then moved away a few steps. 

Tears burned her eyes, and she wiped them furiously. She looked up to see Don staring at Casey for a moment, before he turned to her. 

She didn't want him to see she was upset; didn't want to deal with any more questions, so she simply looked down, away from his gaze. She felt bad as soon as she did it, but when she looked back up, Don was talking quietly to Leo. 

"You OK, bro?" Don asked Leo, who stood next to him now. 

Leo was staring at Raphael's back, as he silently sat in front of the stone marker. 

"I'm alright." Leo answered. "I will be…" He moved over as Raph got up and walked to stand off to the side, trying to hide the tears from his brothers. 

Leo walked slowly over to stand, then kneel before his master. "Sensei…" As soon as he said the words, he could feel a thousand emotions run through his body. He took a deep breath, then tried again. "Sensei, I…" His face crumpled. "I miss you." 

It was all he could say. For weeks he'd been planning what he'd say when he got there; his apologies, his thanks… But they all summed up together in the three whispered words, and the tears that fell immediately after. 

He gave himself a moment, gulping in air to try and calm himself. Then, he felt something touch his leg. He looked over to see Lindy, on her hands and knees, beside him. He grinned slightly, and reached over to pick her up. He hugged her to him, and she reached up, touching his face. 

He wiped away his tears, then shifted himself closer to the stone. "We don't always get what we want…" He whispered. "But you told me, master, that things happen for a reason." He paused. "And I've learned that, somehow, no matter how unexpected, we get what we need." 

After another moment of reverence, he stood, and slowly faced his brothers. 

He caught Don's eye, who was smiling slightly, and smiled back. They all silently got their things together, and, after a few more goodbyes, began their trek back to the house. 

Leo looked back, as they got further away, and watched for a bit as the clearing got farther and farther away. He did feel a bit better. Like a weight had been lifted a little. It was still gonna take time, but this had been a step. He looked back once more and grinned. Maybe he'd go back and visit again, soon… He knew that, each time, it would get easier. 

They began talking in quiet tones, breaking the silence that had hovered over them all day. Soon, they were joking and laughing, and Leo didn't want to stop them. _Master Splinter would want it this way. _He thought. _He'd want us to be happy. _The thought came suddenly to him. His eyes welled again once more, and he swiped them quickly before turning his attentions to he conversations around him. 

The walk home went quicker, and it wasn't long before they could hear Mike talking to April about their upcoming cooking project.

Leo smiled slightly, and stole a glance at Don, who also seemed to be listening to their happy chatter. Don looked back and caught Leo's eye, smiling back. 

They continued on their way back to the house, to prepare for a different kind of celebration. _Though, _Leo thought, _it wasn't _that _different. _The whole day was a celebration of life: Splinter's and Lindy's. One ending and another just beginning. 

The thought comforted him, and he smiled, looking up at the sky. He'd dreaded this day, for so long, that the thought never occurred to him that, after it was over and he'd faced his fears, that the sun would still shine, the day would move on… And they'd celebrate. 

To be continued…

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A/N - I have to apologize about another delay. Sorry about that. As I was writing this, I kept getting ideas for the next chapter, so I wrote them both at about the same time. And, yeah, not a lot of Casey/ April in this one, but don't worry; we'll be getting into that more coming up soon! ;) 

Next chapter: A birthday celebration. 


	25. Chapter 23 Ice Cream and Fairytales

Chapter 23 - Ice Cream and Fairytales

"Raphael!" 

The shriek came from the kitchen, where April and Mikey had promptly disappeared to as soon as they'd returned home. The racket caused the occupants of the living room to look over in shock. A moment later, the door opened. 

"Out! Get out." April shoved a bewildered looking Raph through the door, into the living room. She then turned, and marched back into the kitchen. 

Don looked over to his brother with amusement. "What'd you do?" 

Raph glanced over to his brother, and grinned sheepishly. "Caught me with my finger in the icing." 

Leo snorted in laughter at that, and Raph looked over defensively. "Well, you'd think she'd want my… culinary opinion." 

This made Leo have to turn away, holding in a laugh. 

"When did you become the food expert?" Don asked, a barely restrained grin on his face. 

Raph made a face, walking further into the room. "Well… I eat a lot of it…" He said, then looked over at the rest of them, daring them to comment. "You'd think she'd just want to know what someone thought, jeez." He walked over to the couch and plopped down, staring at the TV, which meant 'conversation over'. 

Don looked over at Leo and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. 

"Didn't want to stay in there, anyway." Raph mumbled, changing the channel. "About to use the food coloring. Might've ended up polka-dotted." 

The rest of them managed not to laugh too hard, thus avoiding any unnecessary bruising. Leo went back to his book, and Don looked back to the clock he'd been trying to fix. Lindy babbled softly from her place on the floor, where she was playing with the ball she'd gotten after Raph discovered it hidden in the attic. 

An uncommon, yet peaceful silence filled the room. Like most of these instances, it didn't last long. 

"Ugh." Casey moaned from his place in the chair, where Lindy had begun pulling on his jeans. "C'mon kid. I'm tryin' to take a nap here." He leaned down and untangled her hand from his pant leg. 

Don looked over, eye-ridge raised. Lindy crawled away again, and Don went back to his clock. 

A frustrated sigh broke Leo out of his reading, and he looked over. Lindy had raised herself up, and was standing next to Casey, poking at a hole in his jeans with her finger. 

"Kid, all I want's a little snooze." Casey said, moving her away from his chair. He looked over at Don. "Help me out here, huh?" 

Leo's gaze went to Don, also. Don finally looked up at Casey. 

"She won't leave me alone." Casey said, then looked back down at Lindy. "C'mon, let your Uncle Casey rest, will ya?" 

Leo saw Don's brow go up at that. 

"Right…" Don breathed, then spoke up. "She'll be fine. Just ignore her, and she'll let you alone." 

Casey grumbled, but leaned back when Lindy crawled towards her ball again. 

Leo looked over at Raph, and they shared a look, before he turned back to his book, and Raph to the TV. 

"This kid doesn't know when to quit." Casey grumbled again suddenly, as Lindy began pushing the ball into his legs. He sat up. "Come on, kid, cut it out!" 

"Please don't yell at my daughter." Don said finally, not looking up at them, keeping his eyes trained on his work. 

"Right." Casey said under his breath. "She's not constantly pushing something into your legs while you're trying to take a nap." 

"She wants you to play ball with her." Leo said, trying to sound helpful. 

"Well, I don't _want _to play ball." Casey retorted. 

"You don't _have _to." Don said, looking over at them. "Just like you don't _have _to take a nap down here. There _are_ beds here, you know." 

Leo looked from Don to Casey to Raph. Something had happened in the past few days, and he didn't know what. Raph caught his eye and, knowing the question, shrugged. Leo looked back to the others. Don and Casey had never been the best of friends, but at least they'd tolerated each other a little more, even joked around a few times. Strained jokes, but still, nothing like the tension that had filled the room now. 

Casey held Don's eyes for another moment, then looked back down at Lindy. "C'mon kid, I'm not gonna play for long." He reached down and grabbed the ball, and bounced it on the ground, towards Lindy, who'd pulled herself up next to the couch. 

What happened next was an accident, by all means, and Leo saw it coming as soon as the ball bounced up from the ground. 

It bounced up, a little too high, and missed Lindy's outstretched arms, hitting her in the head, and knocking her down. A second later, her wails filled the room. 

Leo looked to Casey, and the look on his face told him that it had, in fact, been a mistake. 

Don was out of his chair in a flash. "That was _too _hard." He said, moving towards Lindy. "What's wrong with you?"

As Leo watched, the regretful look disappeared from Casey's face, as soon as Don's accusing words left his mouth. A hardened, stubborn look replaced it as Casey looked at Don.

Leo groaned inwardly. This could not end well. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo could see Raph sit up more, watching the exchange cautiously. 

"What's wrong with me?" Casey countered. "All I wanted was to be left alone for a few minutes. She wanted to play ball, I tossed it at her." 

"You didn't have to hit her." Don said, the gentle way he smoothed his hand comfortingly over the spot where Lindy had hit her head a stark contrast to his tone of voice. 

"And I didn't _mean _to." Casey shot back. "But maybe my aim was a little off from lack of sleep." 

Not much made Don angry quickly. But at that comment, he shot up from his crouched position faster than his brothers had ever seen. 

Leo jumped up, putting a hand on his brother's plastron, stopping him from moving forward. 

"Well, you wanna blame me." Casey said from where he stood behind Raph, who'd jumped up at the same time that Leo had. "I'm just giving you a reason, _Don_, since you don't wanna hear about it being an accident." 

The door to the kitchen opened then, and Leo almost sighed in relief. April and Mike poked their heads out. 

"What's going on?" Mike asked. April looked over at Don and Leo. Don sighed and Leo could see him visibly relax. 

"Lindy fell, bumped her head." Don said, leaning back down to pick up Lindy, who was just sniffling now, and wiping her eyes. 

"Well, bring her in here, and we'll see if we can't make her feel better." April said, giving the rest of them another look. Don walked past Casey and Raph, not looking over, and into the kitchen. April went back in, but Mike stayed out a bit longer. He looked over at Leo, who shook his head slightly. Mike rolled his eyes and disappeared back into the kitchen with the others. 

Casey stayed where he was for a moment longer. 

"Fine. I'll be upstairs." He said suddenly, then began walking up the steps. "_I know _there're beds here… Not an idiot…" Leo and Raph could hear him muttering as he disappeared from their view. 

Raph looked over at Leo once Casey was gone. "What was that all about?" He asked. 

Leo shrugged. "I… I'm not quite sure." He said. 

Raph grimaced. "You have no idea what would make our normally overly-calm brother flip out over nothing…" 

"I wouldn't say that was _nothing_." Leo said. "Well," He mused. "I know why Casey at least is acting weird… even for him." He looked over at Raph. "I caught him and April getting into it a bit last night… Or early this morning, however you wanna see it." He grinned grimly at Raph. 

A moment of silence followed that statement while Raph mulled it over. "You don't think," He began, looking back over at Leo. "That the incident last night has anything to do with the incident today, do you?" 

He asked the question carefully, and crossed his arms as he waited for Leo's response. 

Leo was silent for a moment, brow furrowed. "I… I don't _think _so." He said finally, looking back over at Raph. "But, you know Casey and Donnie aren't the best of friends, to say the least. Maybe this whole day just… helped set him off." 

"Maybe…" Raph said reluctantly. He shrugged, then turned back to the television. 

Leo sat back down, also, grabbing his book. But he didn't read. He couldn't. Raph had planted a seed in his mind. On one hand, Casey _had _overreacted a bit. On the other, all Don had to do was pick Lindy up to get her away from him. His brother wouldn't really have let her bother Casey on purpose, would he? Leo shook his head, ridding his head of the thought. 

***************************

A few hours later, they were all joined around the table. Mike was looking longingly at the counter, where April was putting some final touches to the cake. Finally, she turned around, and brought it over to the table, beaming proudly. 

"Finally!" Mike exclaimed, and it wasn't clear whether he was more excited to eat the cake, or for the others to see what he'd done decorating-wise on the cake. 

"OK." April said happily. "Everybody ready?" She looked around the table, and then began singing 'Happy Birthday'. They all joined in, and Lindy looked around at all of them in confusion at first, and then began clapping. Don looked over to April as they sang and was surprised to see her eyes were glassy with tears. 

After the song was over, and the candles "blown out" (which really consisted of Lindy blowing raspberries at the candle, while Don gently blew the candle out) they began dispensing the cake and ice cream. Casey excused himself to gather some wood for the fire, and the rest began filling their plates. 

"April?" Don walked up to her as she scooped ice cream into a bowl. 

"Yeah?" She said, looking up at him and smiling. 

"Um…" He began. "Are you OK?" She frowned slightly and he continued. "I saw, I mean, while we were singing, it… it looked like you were upset." 

She looked back down to her work. "It's nothing, Don." 

"_He _didn't say any-…" 

"It's nothing, OK?" She said briskly, still not looking back up at him. "It's just… today. There're so many emotions. It's nothing." She finally looked back up at him. "I'm fine, OK?" 

He stopped. "OK." He said slowly. "Just… Just wanted to make sure…" He said, then walked away. 

Leo looked up from where was eating, catching the end of the conversation, at least visually. He frowned as Don walked away. 

Mike, oblivious to the exchange, had finally gotten Lindy to keep her party hat on, and was busily trying to get Raph to wear one. So far, it was not going well. 

"Mikey, get outta here." Raph swatted his brother away. "I'm not gonna wear that stupid thing, so stop trying." 

"Come _on_, Raph." Mikey pleaded, trying to follow Raph, who'd moved to the other side of the table. 

"No." Raph said, moving whenever Mike did, keeping his brother parallel to him across the table. 

Leo sighed as Raphael moved around him. 

"Lindy'll love it." Mike said, switching to another tactic. 

"Lindy's finding it humorous that you two are acting younger than her." Leo muttered, and Raph looked over at Lindy. She was giggling madly, watching them move around the table with a fistful of cake and icing smeared across her face. Raph quickly looked back at Mike, but his momentary distraction had cost him. Mike swiftly jumped up, vaulting himself over the table, and plopped the hat down on Raph's head before he even had a chance to move. 

There was a moment of shocked silence, and Raph realized he'd been had. That lasted until Leo looked up and saw a surly looking Raph with a birthday hat on his head. The visual was too much, and he snorted In laughter, causing the rest of the room to look over at them. 

Another moment of silence followed, then the room erupted into laughs. A light flashed, and Raph looked over to the source. 

April held up the camera, her eyes dancing. "Now _that _is a keeper." She exclaimed. 

Raph's eyes went wide, and he lunged for the camera. April quickly tossed it to Don, who snapped two pictures quickly, then tossed it to Mike. 

Mike began snapping more pictures. "I cannot _wait _to get these developed." He said, keeping himself away from Raphael. 

Raph's eyes narrowed, and he growled in frustration. Mikey's eyes widened, then he swiftly tossed the camera to Leo. 

"OK, how do I get to be the last one to get it?" He asked jokingly, and even joined in on it, snapping more pictures before moving towards the door. 

"You started it, bro." He said, throwing the camera back at Mikey, then opened the door. Mike caught the camera, and took the opportunity, running outside full-speed. 

A moment after he'd gone out the door, another blur of green went flying outside. Leo promptly shut the door after them. 

April sat down in the chair next to Lindy's highchair, holding her sides from the laughter. "Ok, it's tikes like these I wish I'd turned on the…" She cut off as Don silently pointed behind her. Both she and Leo turned, and saw the camera that had been set up on the counter to catch the singing and cake; it's red light flashing, signaling that it was on. 

That sent another burst of laughter to come from the adults in the room, and Lindy watched them, a bewildered look on her face. 

"We've gotta make copies." Leo gasped, laughing. 

Don nodded. "Oh, as soon as he finds out, Raph'll destroy it first chance he gets." 

A moment later, the door to the kitchen opened, and Casey walked in, his arms full of wood, covered in dirt and looking flustered. "What the…" 

"Language." Don corrected automatically. 

Casey glared at him a moment before looking back at the rest of them. 

"What is going on?" He asked. "I was coming back from the barn when I was almost run over by two green bulldozers." 

"Did you happen to notice a certain colorful cone-shaped item?" Leo asked wryly. 

"Oh, so _that's _what Raph was trying to shove down Mike's throat…" Casey muttered. 

Don looked out the window thoughtfully. "I wonder when they'll realize that it's about thirty degrees outside. Not to mention the wind-chill factor…" 

"They will soon." Leo muttered. "Gonna get sick…" 

Quiet laughter filled the air at that, and the all went back to their now almost soupy ice cream. Casey went to the living room to start the fire. 

April looked over at Lindy and laughed. "I'm gonna take her to go get cleaned up." She said, and Don nodded. April picked Lindy up and took her to the living room, where she knew there were extra clothes in the laundry basket she'd set there earlier. 

After April left, Leo looked over at Don. "Don?" 

Don looked over at him. "Yeah?" 

"Is there something going on?" Leo asked. "That I should know about." 

Don looked back at his dish. "Not at all." He said. "Why?" 

Leo licked his lips, watching his brother for a moment longer. "No reason." He sighed. "Never mind." 

***********************

Lindy giggled when April tickled her stomach as she changed her diaper. April swiftly finished, then put another, cake-free outfit on Lindy. 

"Could've been nice." Casey muttered from his spot by the fireplace. 

April looked over from where she was sitting on the floor. 

Casey raised his eyebrows. "This." He gestured around them. "Me and you, a nice warm living room. A family." 

She sighed. "Please don't Casey. Not now. Not today…" 

"No time's ever good for you, you know that?" Casey said. "You lost the right to boss me around the day that you decided _I _wasn't good enough for you." 

"I never said you weren't good enough." 

"Well, you might not have said it, but you made it quite clear that I wasn't 'special' enough to you to…" He stopped, hearing the door open in the kitchen. He looked over at April once more, then looked back to the fire, putting another log in. 

*****************

Don and Leo were almost finished cleaning up when Raph and Mike stumbled into the kitchen, almost breathless. They stopped when they noticed Leo and Don staring at them. 

"Little nippy out there?" Don asked dryly. 

"No." Raph said defiantly, but Don could see him wipe an arm across his nose out of the corner of his eye. 

Both of their cheeks were flushed. Leo grinned grimly. "Casey brought the wood in. You two go warm up by the fire." 

Raph turned to leave, but Mikey looked over at the table. 

"You guys cleaned?!" He asked despairingly. "And I still had half a bowl of ice cream…" Raph turned back and grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him into the living room. 

Leo looked at Don, and shook his head, smiling. They both walked into the living room after them. 

April looked over as they walked in and smiled. "Good!" She said. "Now we can get to the good part; the presents." 

"Yay." Mike said, putting Lindy's arms up in the air. 

"Me first." April said excitedly, standing up. Leo and Mike looked at each other and grinned knowingly. 

"Stand up." April said, walking over to Don. 

"What?" He asked, confused. 

"Stand up." She repeated. 

Don gave her a look, but stood. Mike stood also, bringing Lindy with him. 

April led Don over to the window. "OK." She said. "Look outside." 

"I don't know what you're…" Don began, but stopped as he saw what she pointed to. His jaw dropped. 

There in the yard was a small swing set. Three swings and a slide. Don ogled it for a moment later, then turned back to them. "April…" He began. 

"Don't even say I shouldn't have." She said. "Leo and Mike were in on it, too." 

Don turned to his brothers. Mike was smiling widely and Leo was trying to hide his own burgeoning smile. 

"You don't think April built that on her own, did you?" Mike said, the smile on his face growing larger, if that were possible. 

April smacked him playfully. "I could have, you know." 

Don smiled. "Well, thanks guys. She'll… she'll really enjoy that." 

"So will we!" Mike burst out and everyone turned to him. "Um, well, that is…" He began. "Until she can." He looked around at them, smiling. "Uh, Raph, how 'bout you?" Mike said, looking at his brother. 

Leo looked over at Raph, too. When April'd mentioned the swing set idea to them, Raph had declined, saying that he'd already gotten a gift. Now, he was curious to see what it was. 

"Uh, OK." Raph shifted uncomfortably. "But it's nothin' as nice as the swing thingie." He reached back behind him and pulled out a box. "Here." He shoved it towards Don. 

Don looked down at the box, and took off the top. He looked down into it, then stopped. He looked back up at his brother, who was looking down. 

"Raph…" Don began. "These are…" 

"I know they're not great." Raph broke in. "I tried to fix 'em…"  


"That was my gift, by the way." Casey added in and Raph nodded. "Yeah." Raph said. "The supplies." 

"What are they?" Mike, beyond his threshold of curiosity, peered over Don's shoulder. He reached down, grabbing something, and straightened, holding up a dark red book. "Cool." He flipped through some pages. "Fairy tales." 

Raph frowned a bit. "Yeah, well, the library was gettin' rid of 'em, so I got a hold of them. Like I said, I tried to fix 'em, but I'm no good at that. That's you're thing, Don." 

By then, everyone had gathered around to look at the books. April bent down to pick one up. They were obviously a collected set, and they looked expensive, like encyclopedias. A few corners and the spines were worn, but it seemed to add to their charm. 

"Some of the stories are missing, too." Raph said, and Don looked up at his brother again. He'd never expected something like this from Raph. He wanted to tell his brother how great the gift was, but knew Raph was already uncomfortable with the attention, and decided to do it later. 

Leo looked over at his brother. Raph was intently trying to ignore the attention. Leo shook his head slightly. His brother continued to amaze him… 

"Thank you, Raph." Don said, and Raph nodded. Don could see the pleased look in his brother's eyes at his gift being a hit. 

"There's some clothes and things, too." Leo broke in. "Some toys… Things she could use now." 

"A stuffed bunny." Mike said, holding the toy out towards Lindy and shaking it. Lindy laughed

Don nodded. "Thanks guys." He said, then shook his head. "I don't know _how _I missed that in the yard this morning." 

"You're losing it, bro." Mike said. "She's making you go soft." He joked, playfully punching his brother in the shoulder. 

They laughed at that, and April stood. "OK, so who's up for seconds on ice cream?" 

Mike was up in a flash. "I'm up for firsts!" He exclaimed, then quickly moved to the kitchen. 

"Me too." Casey said, and was followed closely by Raph. 

Don walked up to Leo after they'd all left and out a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Today wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, and Leo looked over at him. 

"I know." Leo said, a grin forming on his face. "You told me so…" 

Don smiled. "I wasn't gonna say a thing." He said, then slung an arm over his brother's shoulder. "Let's get in there before Mikey eats all the ice cream." 

Leo nodded. "Or we're gonna have to hear him complain about being sick all night. It's the lesser of two evils." 

Don nodded back. "Oh yeah. We're helping the whole house here… It's our duty." 

They laughed quietly, and began walking towards the kitchen. They stopped, however, when they heard a familiar hissing sound and a crash. 

"Mikey!" They heard April shout. "Put the whipped cream down. NOW!" 

"Um…" Don began. 

"Maybe we'd better let them take care of it this time." Leo finished. 

Don nodded. "TV?" He asked. 

"TV." Leo agreed, and they went to the couch, making sure to turn up the volume loud enough to cover up the sounds from the kitchen. 

To be continued…

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A/N - *Whew!!* One of my longer chapters, I believe… But, it all needed to be in there. And, I know, some stuff seemed… out of place here; reactions and things. Trust me. It's all there for a reason. ;) 

Next chapter coming soon!


	26. Chapter 24 Revelations

Chapter 24 - Revelations 

The next day was, thankfully, relatively quiet. Leo sat back on the couch, and closed his eyes. He was grateful for the rest in action, momentarily. He mentally went over where everyone was. Don was… somewhere. April ran out for some groceries. Casey was out for a walk, and Mike was in the living room, on a chair, reading with Lindy. 

"…And with the kiss, the princess awoke." Mike stopped reading and looked down at the child in his lap. "Are you a princess?" He asked, and Lindy leaned forward and put her hands on the pages, babbling. 

"Yes, you're our princess." Mike continued, smiling down at her. Then he turned back to the book and began reading again. Mike had been thumbing through those books Raph had gotten her all day, and the night before. Raph… 

Leo, who'd been half-listening to Mike's storytelling, looked over at his brother suddenly. 

"Where's Raph?" He asked, and Mike stopped reading, looking over at Leo. 

Mike shrugged. "I dunno." He shook his head. "Said something about clearing the air… Maybe he went for a walk." 

*****************************

Raphael closed the door to the house softly. He looked around, making sure no one saw him leaving, and headed towards the barn. He wanted to talk to Casey, and knew that he'd most likely be found there. 

His assumption was right, and he could hear Casey before he actually saw him. Raph walked a bit farther into the barn, and saw Casey, furiously hitting the punching bag they'd moved into the building a few weeks earlier. 

Raph stopped halfway through the room. He silently observed his friend. He noticed the bandages that were on his hands, and the blood that soaked through around one of the knuckles. He winced slightly. Those were gonna hurt in the morning… 

Suddenly, the pounding stopped, and Casey wiped his face with his sleeve, sweating with the effort. 

Raph moved back in the shadows, and Casey passed by him; whether or not he noticed Raphael was unknown. After a moment, Raph moved to the door of the barn, and saw Casey walking towards the woods, away from the house. He decided to follow. He'd been wanting to get to the bottom of what was going on, and figured this to be as good a time as any. He pushed away from the doorway, moving towards his friend. 

****************************************

April drove through the town, looking for a place to park. The small area was busy today, and she'd been gone longer than she'd meant to. She kind of welcomed the break away from everyone else, though. It gave her time to think, which was either a really good thing, or really bad. She pulled into a parking spot, and shut off the car. She sighed, leaning her head on to the steering wheel. She decided that she had to explain a few things. She needed to tell him the truth, she realized. He deserved to know… But how would she tell him? It wasn't something she could just blurt out now, was it? 

She groaned, and thumped her head against the wheel again, and the horn suddenly beeped. 

__

Right. She thought, wryly. _That wouldn't be some kinda sign, now, would it? _

******************************************

"Yo, Case. Wait up." Raphael half-jogged up to Casey, and began walking beside him. They walked in silence for a moment before Raphael spoke. 

"So, uh, Casey." He began. "Is there…something going on that I should know about?" 

Casey glared over at him for a moment. 

"I mean, you seem a little… upset sometimes, and I was just wonderin'…" 

Casey sighed. "It's nothin', Raph, really…" 

"What happened yesterday was not nothing." Raph broke in. "I'm hopin' what happened with Lindy was an accident." 

"It was." Casey nodded. 

Raph nodded also. "But what happened after that wasn't." He finished. 

Casey looked down. 

"Look," Raphael continued. "Casey, you're my friend, man, but Don's my brother. I wanna know what's…" 

"You know how hard it was for me? To come knocking on that door?" Casey interrupted. "I like spendin' time with ya, Raph, you know that. But if I'd had anywhere else to go…" He shook his head. "You think I like having to be in the same house as her? It's hard, man." 

Raph was silent for a moment, letting it sink in. He also noticed how Casey had avoided the question earlier, but decided not to call him on it. Not yet. He wanted to keep him talking, but Casey beat him to it. 

"But I had no choice." Casey said, then looked down, sighing heavily. "I got into a bit of trouble, Raph." 

Raphael sighed. "Casey…" 

"I knew they couldn't find me here." Casey continued. "I never thought anyone'd be there, but when I saw the car…" 

Raph groaned. "You were being followed? And you led them right to us." 

"No." Casey shook his head, still not looking over at his friend. "I lost them awhile back. But I figured it best to just… lay low for awhile, you know?" 

"Man, what if they followed you?" Raph asked. "We can take care of ourselves, but April's here. And Lindy…" 

"I didn't _know _she was here, now did I?" Casey broke in angrily. 

Raphael looked over at his friend. He didn't know which 'she' Casey meant by that, but he felt his blood begin to boil. He breathed deep, trying to calm himself. 

"Once I think it's all clear, I'm outta here." Casey continued. 

"Alright." Raph muttered, holding his hands up. He didn't want Casey mad at him, not right now anyway. They walked farther in silence, until Raph couldn't hold back any longer. 

"Were things that horrible between you two for that long?" He asked finally. He almost regretted saying anything at all, and he hoped Casey wouldn't be too angry. 

"No." Casey snorted. "I thought things were great, up until that one night." He looked over at Raph, who was looking at him, confused. 

"She really didn't tell any of you?" Casey breathed. Raph shook his head slightly and Casey sighed. "We were engaged…" He said, an almost ironic tone to his voice. 

Raph groaned. "Oh, Casey, man. I didn't know. I'm sorry…" 

"Until she decided she didn't want that anymore. She didn't want me." Casey went on. "She never did, I think…" 

Raph thought about that for a minute. "But, if April was the one who ended it, then why was she so upset that you came back?" He said finally.

Casey stopped, and Raph walked a few feet farther before turning back and looking at him. 

"She was upset?" Casey asked and Raph nodded. "Really…" Casey mused, and Raph was almost sure a hint of a smile played on the man's lips. 

"Yeah…" Raph said slowly. "At least, she seemed like it sometimes." A horrible suspicion was nagging at him, but he pushed the thought back, concentrating on the conversation at hand. 

Casey crossed his arms. "She's upset…" He repeated. "Good." He stated. 

"Good?!" Raph repeated, a bit surprised. Whatever had happened had made Casey more than a little bitter, that much was clear. But he still wanted to know exactly what had happened. He wanted him to _say _it, confirm the idea that had burrowed its way into his thoughts. 

"Well, she brought it upon herself." Casey said, then looked at Raph. 

"What did she do, exactly?" Raph prodded, trying to break Casey down, make him tell him what had happened. 

Casey glanced over at Raphael, and Raph was surprised to see a sad look in his friend's eyes now. Gone was the defiant, hard look. 

Casey walked over to a rock and sat, bowing his head. Raph stood a bit away for a moment, unsure of what to do. 

Casey began talking lowly, surprising Raph out of his daze. 

"We'd been fighting, for a while." He said, then looked up at Raph, smiling. "Well, we always fought, but… this time it was real." He looked back down again. "One day, I found her in the kitchen, packing to make another trip down to the lair…" 

Three years earlier… 

__

"Going **there **again?" April stiffened as the words drawled from Casey. She looked up and glared over at him. 

"I'm allowed to go where I want." She stated simply, shoving a few more things into her bag. 

"Yeah, you are." Casey agreed, then walked over and stood next to her, watching her work for a moment. 

"What happened this time?" He asked. "I haven't seen Raph or the guys in forever." 

She laughed weakly. "No big great adventure." She said. "So you don't need to worry about missing that. Just some supplies they needed. Bandages, antiseptic, stuff like that…" She continued getting ready, zipping her bag shut. 

"That couldn't wait 'til morning?" He asked, shifting in place. 

"Well," April continued. "There were some other things they wanted me to take a look at." 

"Uh huh." Casey said, a scowl forming on his face. 

__

"And… we're not doing anything tonight, are we?" She continued, looking up. 

"No…" 

"See? And, I wanted to see how they were." She said, sitting down at a chair to put her shoes on. 

"You were there two days ago." He said. 

"Casey," She admonished. "This is really hard on them" She continued, then shook her head. "You wouldn't understand." 

"Maybe because I don't spend every waking moment over there…" 

"I'm not there all the time" She said. "For your information, there have been plenty of times when I haven't seen or heard from them in days, weeks even, and I know they're ok." 

He snorted. "Yeah, but you spend the whole time worried sick about them, too." 

"Well," She said slowly. "They live a dangerous life." She continued. 

"So do I. So do you, sometimes." 

"Well, you do it by choice. They've been forced to…" 

Casey sighed loudly, breaking into her sentence. "Let's not get into this conversation again." He said, shaking his head. 

"Well, you insist on bringing it up." April said. 

"I'm not the one trekking down to the sewers **again **for the hundredth time this week." 

"I was there twice." April said, finishing tying her shoelaces, pulling them tight in her anger. 

"You know what your problem is?" Casey said, getting warmed up, now. "You **need **to be needed. They were doing fine before they met us, and they'd be fine without us. You literally **need **them to need you…" 

She looked up at him, rage evident in her eyes. 

"It needed to be said, April." Casey continued. "It's harsh, but it's the truth." He shook his head. "I need you too, you know." He said softly. 

She stared at him a moment longer, then shook her head, almost sadly. "Look, I said I'd go down today, ok? We can do something tomorrow. Go out to eat, go for a walk…" 

"I don't want to be the one pushed to the backburner, April." He said, his voice soft, but firm. A sad look came into his eyes now. 

"Casey…" She sighed. "You just don't understand." 

"Because you won't let me." He said. "Or don't want me to." 

She looked away from him. 

"What don't you want me to know, April?" He prodded, his arms crossed. "What is it?" 

"Nothing, Casey! God, I hate when you get so over-protective like this." She said, standing to get her things. "If you're gonna be like this, maybe I'll spend the night in the lair, let you cool off." 

He sighed heavily again, and looked over at her. "You do that," He said. "And I won't be here in the morning." 

She stopped dead in her tracks, looking over at him. "What?" She sat back down at the table. 

"You heard me." He said simply. 

She looked away. "Don't. Don't make me choose between you and them. I can't do that." 

"Why?" 

"Because… Because they're my family." She said finally, looking up at him with a venomous glare. 

There was a long pause where he seemed to be unable to figure out what to say. When he spoke again, his voice was low, and serious. 

"I want you to tell me that's true." He said, and his voice rose as he spoke, until he was almost shouting. "Tell me. Tell me that you've never once thought about any one of them in a way that was less than 'familial'." 

There was a small pause. She looked away, tears burning her eyes. "Get out." She finally said, softly. 

"What?" He wrinkled his nose, looking at her. 

"Get OUT!" She screamed. 

He jumped, surprised at the outburst. A grim smile came over his face. "I thought so." He said softly. 

She half stood, looking like she was about to punch him. He backed off, his hands in front of his himself in a calming gesture. 

"Hey, I'm outta here." He said, still backing towards the door. "I knew it." He said softly when he reached the door. "I knew it…" He repeated, almost to himself. 

"You don't know anything!" She cried, and his heart jumped as he noticed the tears running down her face. He just shook his head, opening his mouth once to say something, but then closing it again. He walked out the door. 

******************************************

The woods were silent for a long moment after Casey finished. He continued looking at the ground determinedly. 

"You made her choose?" Raph finally blurted out. 

"I didn't want to." Casey said softly, then looked back up at Raph, the pain still evident in his eyes. "She'd chosen a long time ago." He continued. "I just made her say it." 

Raph sat down heavily on a log. A million scenarios had run through his head, as to why Casey and April had broken up. But never this. He looked over at his friend again, then fixed his gaze on the trees ahead of them. He sighed. For once in his life, Raphael had no idea what to say. 

*******************************************

Back in town, April finally made it to her car, dragging the last of her bags with her. She threw them into the back, and sat down in the driver's seat, pulling out a sheet of paper. 

__

Check, check, and check. I'm done… She thought, happily, as she put a pen mark through the last line on her paper. 

She sighed, and backed out of the parking spot, waving at the person who'd let her go.

Alone in the car, however, her thoughts caught up with her, and she was soon biting her lip in anticipation of what she was about to do. 

__

It's for the best. She thought resolutely, then sighed heavily. _This could either make or break me… _

So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she didn't see the headlights until they were almost upon her. 

As her eyes suddenly focused on the twin beams coming her way, she slammed her foot on the brake and muttered something she was sure Don would chide her for saying, especially if Lindy were around. 

That was her last thought before all she heard was the crash of glass and metal. And then the silence. 

To be continued…

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A/N - Man, was that evil of me or what? I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't be too mad!! But, we finally know what happened with Casey and April. Don't we? Well, at least Casey's take on it… ;) Well, either way, since it's the holiday time, I'll have more time to work on this. A new chapter should be coming along shortly. 

~ This story has been nominated in the FanFic Awards! It's up for 'Most Accurate Portrayal of TMNT or Supporting Characters' and 'Best Drama'! My story, 'Operation: Candy' had also been nominated, for 'Best Holiday Fic'. What an honor, that people enjoy my stories enough to nominate me. Thank you to those who did, and thank you in advance to anyone who sees fit to vote for me; you've honored me by doing so. The site where you can see the rest of the stories up for awards and vote for your favorites can be found on my profile page here on ff.net. 

Voting takes place from December 22-29. Winners will be announced on December 30th. Good luck to all those nominated! 

~ I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! See you soon! 


	27. Chapter 25 Storms Brewing

Chapter 25 - Storms Brewing

Raphael sat on the log, still trying to figure out what to say. The thoughts that had nagged at him had finally been confirmed. But now he had more questions… And he wasn't sure that he liked being the only person to know something like this. 

After another moment, he stood, and walked towards Casey. "Feel better?" He asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Casey jumped, as if surprised that Raph was still there, then nodded. "Yeah, a bit, I guess." Casey said, then stood. 

Raph looked around. The moon shone brightly overhead. "I think we should head back." He said. "We've been gone for awhile. I bet we even missed supper." Raph grinned. "And you know Mikey won't let us forget it if we did." 

Casey smiled a little at that. "Yeah." He said. "Maybe there's even some food left." 

Raph laughed at that, and patted his friend on the back, as they made their way back home. 

********************

A dull ringing slowly made it's way into Leo's head. He groaned, sitting up more. The ringing noise got louder, and he sat up quickly, realizing that he'd dozed off. He heard footsteps, and the ringing stopped. He heard Don's voice softly carrying in from the other room. Suddenly the noise stopped, and there was silence. 

Leo looked over at Mike, who was still reading with Lindy. Mike looked at him over the top of the book, his brow beginning to furrow. 

Then they could hear Don begin talking quickly, his voice still low and unintelligible. 

Leo sat up more. Mike stopped reading, and looked out towards the hallway. Mike looked back over to Leo and shrugged. Suddenly, Don came into the living room, his face pale. 

"Don…?" Leo sat up more. 

  
"Where's Casey?" His brother blurted out. Leo stopped, surprised. After the day before, Casey was the last person Leo would have thought that Don would be looking for. 

"What's wrong?" Mike asked, gripping the book tightly in his hands. 

"There… there's been an accident." Don said and Mike gasped. "I need… We need to get to a car." Don grumbled. 

"Accident?" Leo stood. "What're you…" He began, then stopped. "Oh God." He said, as it struck him. "April…" 

Don nodded curtly, then went to grab his coat. "That was the hospital. They wouldn't tell me much over the phone, but…" 

Don stopped as the door opened and Casey and Raph walked in. Raph took one look at Don, then looked to Leo. "What happened?" 

"April was in an accident." Don said. Raph's eyes opened wide, but he said nothing. 

"And you were gonna go down there?" Casey asked, looking at the coat in Don's hand. 

"Well, I was thinking of…" 

"You weren't gonna 'borrow' my car and go without telling me, were yo-…" 

"I think maybe Casey should drive and the rest of you can go." Raph broke in. "I'll stay here with Lindy." 

Leo looked at his brother, and he shrugged. 

Casey scowled slightly. "I'm leavin' now. Get yer coats." 

Leo nodded, and Mike jumped up, handing Lindy to Raph. Casey walked out the door briskly, and the other three turtles followed quickly. Leo threw Raph one more glance before they left, but Raph merely shook his head slightly. 

************************

The ride to the hospital was silent, a tense feeling in the air. Leo had a feeling it was about more than where they were going… 

When they got there, however, things didn't get any easier. 

"I'm sorry, but unless you're family I cannot give you any information." The nurse said firmly. 

Casey growled in frustration. 

"Ma'am, the thing is, she has no family." Don said, looking at the young nurse. "Now, we've been her friends for years, and…" 

"I'm sorry." She said, and the girl did truly look sorry. "But, I'll have to check with my supervisor on this." She looked at Don. "And, you know, you can leave your coat at the rack in the lobby, if you want." She said, then walked away. 

Don bent his head, sighing. 

They resigned themselves to sitting in the lobby again. Leo looked around warily. He hoped the nurse came back soon. He didn't like this place. Not just because of what it was, but because there were so many people around, and it was so brightly lit. They were covered up well, but they were still too exposed for his liking. 

"What in the world was she doing out this time?" Leo could hear Casey mutter to Mike, who was looking at the ground miserably. 

"At least she was doing something useful." Don, who was sitting on the other side of Leo, mumbled. 

Leo sighed. 

Thankfully, another nurse approached them, and they stood. 

"Is she OK?" Mike blurted. 

The nurse smiled. "She's doing well." She said, and they all visibly relaxed. "The doctor would like to speak with you now." She continued, motioning for them to follow her. "Oh." She said over her shoulder. "You can leave your coats here in the lobby, if you like…" 

"We get cold easy." Don said, and Leo could hear an edge of bitterness not usually found in his brother's tone. 

They walked back to a room, and the nurse motioned them inside. "Now, you must be quiet. She's sleeping." The nurse shook her head. "You all shouldn't be in there, anyway, but I'll let it slide. For once." She said. "If I hear of any racket…" She trailed off, and they all nodded their understanding of what she meant. 

The nurse left the room, leaving them with a sleeping April. The room was silent, save for the machines that hummed as they worked. They all stood around, silently, none looking at each other or April. 

Finally, Mike looked over at April and gasped. Leo's eyes shot towards the bed, and his heart sank at what he saw. 

April was sleeping peacefully, probably thanks to medication, but she was sporting some bruises that Leo knew were going to hurt in the morning. 

Neither Casey or Don made any indication that they'd been bothered by this, and Leo looked over at them. Casey was staring at the bed, not moving. Don's eyes flickered from April to Mike. 

"Do you think she's in pain?" Mike whispered, and it was the quietest that any of them had ever heard him speak. 

"I doubt it." Don said finally, moving forward, towards the bed. "I'm positive they have her on medication of some sort." He leaned down towards April, and Leo saw his expression change slightly, softening. 

It was a moment before Leo shifted uncomfortably and spoke. "Um, I wonder when that doctor is getting here." He said, looking around. "I'd like to know how long she's going to be here." 

Don looked at the bandages again. "It doesn't look too very bad." He said, and his expression changed again, going back to a more serious, calm look. "I mean, it looks bad, but I don't think she'll need to be here any longer than a few days…" 

"That was a very good assessment." 

They all jumped, and Don straightened up quickly at the voice that had suddenly come forward. 

The doctor stood in the doorway, looking at them. After a moment he walked into the room fully, and brought his clipboard up. 

He read for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Ms O'Neil will be fine. She'll be plenty sore for awhile, though. The crash bruised two ribs, and dislocated her right shoulder" He looked back at them. "She must have put her arm up to shield her face." He said, then looked back down at his clipboard. "Lets see… additional bruising on the face, and on her left leg. Her knee on that side was twisted a little in the crash, so she should favor that one a bit, for a while." 

They all nodded, and the doctor smiled. "But, like I said, nothing a little rest and relaxation can't cure. And a lot of TLC couldn't hurt, either. But," He added. "With all of you here to see her, I doubt that will be a problem." 

"When can she come home?" Leo asked. 

"Well," The doctor began. "I'd like to keep her overnight, just for observation. She should be home by tomorrow, possibly the next day." 

"Good…" Mike muttered. 

"I'll go over all the rest of the things she'll need to do when one of you picks her up when she gets released." The doctor said. 

"Thank you." Leo said, gratefully. The doctor nodded, then glanced at his watch. "Visiting hours are just about over, so I'd ask you all to please vacate the room soon." With that, he left them alone again. 

Mike looked over at April, and shook his head sadly. "Poor April." He said sadly. 

Leo nodded. "I think, that if the doctor says she needs her rest, then we should go." He said softly. He didn't want to draw any more attention than they already had. 

They all nodded, aware that the longer they remained, the better chance they stood of being discovered. After a moment of whispered goodbyes to April, they left. 

***************************

"I just don't know, kid." Raphael aimlessly bounced the small ball he held in his hands. He looked over at the room's other occupant. Lindy was reaching for something on the table. "Uh uh." Raph reprimanded, shaking his head. "C'mere." He said, and Lindy obeyed, toddling over to him. He grabbed her, and sat her in his lap. She reached for the ball, which he held out of her reach. 

"I just don't know what to think." He continued. "I always figured, but… Hearing Casey say it like that…" Lindy looked up at him thoughtfully. He sighed. "I shouldn't be layin' this all on you, should I?" He looked down at Lindy. "I should be talkin' to Casey or…" He stopped as he heard a car door slam. Raph stood as the door opened and his brothers and Casey trooped in. 

Leo looked over at Raph as they walked in, and Raphael's brow arched in a silent question. Leo nodded back curtly, knowing what that meant. _Kitchen. _

Leo headed to the kitchen silently, and Raph handed Lindy to Don. He then made his way to the kitchen, closing the door softly behind him. 

Leo sat at the table, head in his hands. He looked up, though, when Raph came in. 

"Is she OK?" Raph asked, suddenly very worried at his brother's tired demeanor. 

Leo nodded slowly. "She will be." He said, and Raph sighed, relieved, then sank into a kitchen chair beside his brother. 

"The doctor wants to keep her for another night, or two, just for observations." Leo continued. "She's pretty banged up, but… No broken bones, no real bad damage. Nothing time can't fix." 

Raph nodded. "Good." He said, and a moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "So, then what's up?" 

Leo looked over at him. "What do you mean?" He asked. 

Raph grimaced. "C'mon, Leo. I know as well as you do that something's up with you. You look… tired, man. Like crap." 

"Well, thanks." Leo stated wryly. Raph grinned. 

"I'm just…" Leo began, rubbing his hands over his face. "Tired. I'm tired…" He looked over at Raph and grinned. "You didn't have to ride in the car up there…" He trailed off, but Raph knew what he meant. 

"You talk to him." Leo continued. "Do you have any idea what's up?" 

Raph stopped for a moment, then shook his head. 

Leo sighed. "Alright." He said, standing. "But if you do hear of anything…" 

Raph nodded, and stood also. They walked to the door and pushed it open, entering the living room. 

The room was silent, an uncommon occurrence for them. Don had taken Lindy to bed, and Mike was sitting in the chair. Casey sat on the couch, his foot tapping consistently, and almost impatiently. 

"C'mon guys." Raph said after a moment, and Leo jumped, startled by his voice. 

"I mean, we just got some pretty good news, by my thinking. April's gonna be fine, right? So let's not be so down." 

Leo looked over at his brother and smiled. "Raph's right." Leo said. His brother looked over at him, grinning broadly. _How often to I actually tell him that? _Leo wondered. 

Mike was looking at them. Leo looked back at him and continued. "We've got lots to do tomorrow, especially if April's coming home." 

Mike grinned. "Yeah…" 

"Tomorrow's gonna be a busy day." Leo continued. "We're also going to need groceries, so Casey, if you could run out for us we'd really appreciate it." 

Casey grunted in response to that, and Leo's grin faded momentarily. "So," He continued, looking back over to Mike. "We should all get to bed. We need to be well rested, and prepared." 

"Right." Raph agreed, causing Leo's head to snap over and look at him. Raph was looking at Casey, though. 

Mike nodded and stood. "Yeah, I'm pretty beat." He said, and stretched. Leo nodded, and watched as Mike ascended the stairs. Don hadn't come back down yet, not that Leo had seen. Maybe he was waiting to talk to Mikey, Leo thought. With that in mind, he bid his brother and Casey goodnight, and followed Mike up the stairs. 

Leo expected to hear the hushed voices of his brothers, but the only sounds he heard were the soft breathing of Lindy, and Mike's deeper breathing, telling him that both were already asleep. He was always amazed at his brother's ability to sleep (and sleep deeply) as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

Shaking his head, Leo went into his own room, and shut the door quietly, but not all the way. For some reason, he wanted to be able to hear if anything happened. What he was listening for, he wasn't sure… Just a feeling he got. 

He turned over and shut off the light next to his bed. 

To be continued… 

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A/N - Thanks to everyone who voted for me in the FanFic Awards. 'What The Heart Wants' won for 'Best Drama' and "Most Accurate Portrayal of TMNT or Supporting Characters'! What an honor. Thank you all! 

Also,to my readers and reviewers: Thank you for your continued support of my fics. You don't know how good it makes me feel. You're all awesome. 

Next chapter: Homecoming (and not the dance kind, either ;)) 


	28. Chapter 26 Puzzle Pieces

Chapter 26 - Puzzle Pieces 

Leonardo awoke from his sleep and stretched, grimacing as he felt the tension in his neck. He stood, still moving his shoulders around. He must've slept weird. 

He walked downstairs, still rubbing the back of his neck. He stopped, as he could hear voices coming from the kitchen. It wasn't often that _all _of his brothers were awake before he was. 

"Hey, good morning, sleepy-head." Mike looked over as Leo entered the kitchen and grinned. 

"What's the occasion?" Leo asked, bewildered, as he sat down at the table. He noted all the different breakfast foods on the table. 

"April's awake." Don said, putting the paper down. "The hospital called to let us know that she'd be having a few more tests, but she can probably come home today." 

"That's great." Leo said, and grabbed a mug, filling it with orange juice. 

"Yeah." Mike added. "And I'm gonna have a huge lunch ready for her when she gets back." 

Raph grinned as he shut the fridge door. "Slow down, there, Mikey. We don't know when she's getting home yet. Maybe not until tomorrow." 

Leo nodded. 

Mikey's face fell a bit, but he perked back up again. "Well then, whenever she gets home…" He said. 

Don stood up, setting down his paper. "I'm going to get Lindy up now." He said, taking the last few sips of his coffee. "Be back in a few." He continued, then left the room. 

There was silence for a few minutes while everyone worked at the food on the table. Leo jumped as Mike began talking, jarring him from his thoughts. 

"Is he acting weird?" Mike asked suddenly. Raph looked over at Leo, then moved his gaze to Mikey. His brother was looking intently at his plate. 

"For Don, you mean?" Raph joked, but stopped when he could see Leo shake his head slightly. 

"I think," Leo began. "That maybe this whole thing has him more worried than we know." Leo looked over at Raph, and they shared a quick glance before he continued. "I mean, April and Donnie are friends…" He said, knowing he was treading on dangerous ground. 

Mike nodded. "I know that, but…" He looked up at his brothers. "I dunno. I'm just getting this odd feeling from all this. From Casey, too." He shifted uncomfortably. 

Leo bit his lip. He wasn't so comfortable talking about this now. Especially when he didn't know exactly what was going on. 

Mike opened his mouth again, but closed it when they could hear Lindy babbling, coming from down the hall. 

A few moments later, Don reentered the kitchen, carrying Lindy. He put her in her highchair, then glanced at his brothers. They were all looking down at their food. Cocking a brow, he went over to the cupboards and grabbed Lindy's cereal. He glanced back at his brothers. They were still avoiding all eye contact with each other. He sighed heavily. 

"So." Don said, still facing the counter. "What's going on now?" He turned back around, placing the cereal and a bottle in front of Lindy, who happily grabbed the bottle. 

He faced his brothers, crossing his arms. Leo and Raph were holding a silent conference through looks alone. 

Don sighed again. "Mikey…?" 

Mike looked up quickly. "Nothin', bro. Really." 

Leo finally tore his gaze away from Raph and looked over at Don. "We were just talking about… April." He began. 

Don narrowed his eyes, watching his brother. 

"We just were thinking of what she was going to have to do after she got home." 

Don seemed to relax his stance a bit. "Well," He began. "I'm sure they'll be sending home instructions. Not to mention, they'll tell her and whoever picks her up what to do." He was silent for another moment. "Speaking of… maybe someone should go with Casey when he…" 

"When Casey what?" Casey interrupted, walking into the room. He took in the table scene, and his eyes widened slightly. "Jeez, Mikey. You trying to kill us by over-eating?" 

Mike grinned. "Nope. Just felt like making a big breakfast." He moved over to make room for Casey, who sat down and grabbed a plate. 

"So," Casey began, grabbing a plate. "Just what am I doing now?" He looked over at Leo and Raph. 

"Um… well…" Leo began. 

"We need you to pick up some more food." Mike interrupted cheerfully. "I sorta went overboard." 

"No kidding." Casey breathed, but he grinned. "Sure. I can use a ride into town." 

"I'll get you some money for the groceries." Don mumbled, moving towards the door again. 

"Cool." Casey said, shoving a spoonful of eggs into his mouth. 

Leo wrinkled his nose a bit at Casey's obviously hurried meal. Raph sat back, smirking. 

"So," Casey stood, taking his plate to the sink. "Whatta we need?" He asked, grabbing a few pieces of toast from the counter. 

"List's on the fridge." Mike answered him, looking up from his own plate. 

Casey nodded, then finished off the toast and grabbed the list. 

"Here's some money for it." Don returned to the kitchen, shoving a few bills at Casey. 

"Coupons." Mike added, and Don nodded, grabbing an envelope from the counter. He handed it to Casey, who looked at it, a frown on his face. 

"What, you guys clip coupons?" 

"It saves quite a bit of money." Don said, frowning. 

Casey shook his head. "You guys gotta invite me to _that _event." He said, grinning. "I wanna see Raph looking through the ads…" 

Raph grunted at that, but grinned. 

"All right." Casey said, taking the envelope. "I'm goin', then." He got to the door, then looked back. "I might stop and visit April while I'm out. I'll tell her you said hi." He said, then left. 

Don wrinkled his nose. 

"Well," Leo said, a bit surprised. "That's helpful…" 

"Yeah." Mike joked. "Casey, helpful. Who knew." 

"Well." Don said finally. "Let's hope he doesn't take _too _long getting back home…" 

***********************

"Well," Leo began a while later. "Good thing Mikey left enough for us to make supper with." 

"What do you think happened?" Don asked, looking at Raph, who shrugged. 

"Whatever happened, I hope he gets home soon." Mike added, patting his stomach. "He's been gone _forever _and I'm still starving." 

Casey had been gone for a good portion of the day, and they had no way of reaching him. _Though, _Leo thought. _The police would call if he'd done anything stupid… _

Raphael, however, was a little more worried than the others. He just kept thinking about their talk the other night, and how Casey had mentioned being followed. Raph knew that Casey could take care of himself, but what if he led them to the house? Raph shook his head. He hated to worry. When had he begun to do so this often? He sighed. Maybe he should have told Leo… 

Don sighed, irritated. "Let's just hope there was nothing perishable that he bought…" 

Suddenly, it grew silent, as they could hear a car coming up the road. 

A moment later, they heard a car door open, then slam shut. Leo tensed, looking over at Raph. 

The door to the house flew open, and Mike jumped. 

"Hey, guys!" Casey peeked his head in. "I picked up somethin' real interesting while I was shopping…" 

Seeing Casey, Leo relaxed a bit. He could see his brothers do the same from the corner of his eye. 

"Is it something good?" Mike asked. 

"It better be, to take this long…" Raph could hear Don mutter. 

"I stopped by to see April while I was out." Casey began. "And stayed for awhile…" He glanced over at Don. "And while I was there, they were finishing up her tests, so I just waited it out and… brought her home." 

"She's… home?" Leo repeated, and Casey nodded. Mikey brightened at this, and even Raph perked up. 

"Where is she?" Raph asked. 

"In the car." Casey nodded his head towards the door. "Said somethin' about not being ready… I dunno." 

"I'll go get her." Leo offered. He looked back at the rest of them, then went out the door. 

"Maybe she'll be hungry…" Mike jumped up from his seat. 

"Ah, I don't know, Mikey. Maybe not tonight." Casey broke in. Mike's face fell at that. 

"It's just… the meds they got her on." Casey explained. "They kinda make her a little… sick. I think that's why she's takin' a minute out there." 

"Oh…" Mike nodded, wrinkling his nose slightly. 

"Well," Casey began. "I'm gonna go get these groceries put away. Anyone wanna help, since I have no idea where they go?" 

"Yeah." Mike agreed, following Casey into the kitchen. 

Raph looked at Don, who was watching Casey and Mike leave the room. Don had a look on his face that Raph couldn't identify. 

It was silent for a long moment, before Raph cleared his throat, breaking the spell that had settled on the room. Don jumped a little, then looked over at Raphael. 

Raph shifted uncomfortably at first, then spoke. "This is good, right? That April's home, I mean." Don just stared at him for a moment. "I mean, the doctors wouldn't just let her out if she wasn't… alright. Right?" Raph tried again, appealing to Don's vast knowledge; trying to get him to talk about something, anything… 

Don seemed to snap back into it, and he smiled. "Of course it is!" He said finally. Raph let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. 

"The doctor's wouldn't have released her unless they felt that she was certainly out of the woods, in all areas." Don continued, his eyes brightening. 

"We'll have to ask Casey what they said." Raph added, but was surprised when Don's eyes clouded over again. He glanced at the kitchen door again, and suddenly it snapped into place in Raph's brain. The look before, his odd behavior… Don didn't like Casey knowing so much more about April than he did. The realization hit Raphael like a ton of bricks, and he groaned inwardly. 

Another silence descended on the room. This time it was Don who ended it. 

"I wonder what's taking Leo so long." He said, looking at the clock. "He's been outside for awhile now." 

Raph shrugged his shoulders. He was quiet for a minute, then sighed. "Donnie…" 

He cut off his words, however, as they heard the doorknob turn. 

Leo came through soon after, holding April in his arms. 

Both Raph and Don looked over at them. April's head was facing the ground. After a moment, she looked over at them, and gave a tiny smile. 

"Hey guys." She said softly. 

Don's face lit into a smile, and he walked towards her. 

Raph stood where he was for a moment longer. He looked at April. Her face was bruised, and swollen a bit. He clenched his hands without even realizing it. She really didn't deserve this. It was an accident, he knew, but… this was April. She just didn't deserve that. 

Taking another moment, Raph cleared his head of all those bad thoughts. Then he looked over at them again, and noted how his brother's demeanor had suddenly shifted. Raph had noticed the smile that had appeared on Don's face when April had entered the room, and it stayed on his face as he spoke to her. Raph rarely saw his brother that… happy looking. _Jeez… _He thought. _He really does love her… _

And for some reason, that thought filled him with dread. 

To be continued…

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A/N - Ah yes, the middle chapters… I had what I wanted in the next chapter written out, but needed this chapter in there… Though, this chapter is important. They all are. This one just gave me a little more trouble, is all. Ah well… It's written now, and I like it, so no worries, right? 

See you all soon!

Next chapter - Beginning the recovery process… 


	29. Chapter 27 Home Is Where Your Heart Is

Chapter 27 - Home Is Where Your Heart Is 

Raphael stared at Don a few moments longer. He really did want his brother to be happy… and right now, he was. But, if it didn't work out, if she rejected him… Well, Raph didn't want that to happen. And he didn't want to even _think _about what that would do to Don, or April. Or even the rest of them. 

The door to the living room opened, and Raph jumped. He frowned, as he realized he'd been standing there, staring for a few minutes, lost in his thoughts. 

"April!" Mike exclaimed, running up to the couch, where she'd carefully sat. "Hey, girl, you had us worried." 

April's eyes flicked to Leo, who smiled at her. She looked back to Mikey. "Oh, don't you worry about me. I'm planning on having you boys wait on me hand and foot." She grinned weakly, and winked. 

"That's right." Casey said. "The docs said not to strain herself at all." 

"And I plan on using that to my full advantage." April added. 

"So," Don began, sitting on the arm of the couch. "What did they say?" 

"To rest, pretty much." April said. "I have to stay off the leg, not use the shoulder, no lifting for awhile… and no stress. Yeah, right I told him." She laughed weakly, then automatically went to grab her side. 

"Another thing," She began again, this time her voice softer. "I started getting these back spasms this morning. They think I might've twisted my back in the crash. That's why there were more tests and stuff. But nothing a little massage can't fix." She winked. "Not that I mind that part of it, mind you." She looked at them. "It'll be fine. No permanent damage anywhere, they don't think. As long as I just take it easy for a while." 

"We'll make sure of that." Leo added, looking at his brothers, who nodded. 

"I know." She breathed, and looked down. 

"April?" Mike began. "You OK?" 

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Yeah, Mikey I'm just…" 

"Tired, I'm sure." Raph broke in. April looked over at him and flashed him a grin. 

Leo nodded. "I'm sure." He agreed, then turned to April. "Anything we can get for you?" 

April thought for a moment, then looked over at them. "You know what I want?" She said, her eyes lighting up. "I want to wash my hair. I want to get a shower, then go to bed. I just feel so grimy…" 

Leo shifted. "Um, well…" 

"Oh, she can do that. Right?" Mike interrupted, his eyes dancing. "Not like she's asking for much." He grinned, looking over at April. "Would it make you feel better?" 

She beamed at him. "Yes, it would." She said. 

"Come on, Leo." Mike turned to his brother. "I'm sure we can figure _something _out." He said, then winked back at April. 

"Did the doctor say you could?" Don inquired, not quite meeting April's eyes. 

"Well…" April began slowly. "He just said not to exert myself…" 

"I don't know." Leo frowned. 

"Just a hair-wash?" April countered. 

"Go to sleep after that?" Leo shot back, and was pleased to see a bit of her old spark come into her eyes then. 

"Yes!" She agreed, smiling, playing along with the bargaining. 

He grinned. "Alright then." He laughed softly. 

"Great." She said, then her nose wrinkled. "Um, I might need a bit of help there." She said, softly. "Just someone to squeeze the shampoo and wet my hair for me." Her face turned red. 

Mike felt instantly bad for her. He didn't realize how hard it was going to be for her… And it only made it worse that she was the _only _girl. 

"Come on." Casey said gruffly. 

"What?" April looked up at him, wide eyed. 

"I said, c'mon." He repeated. "I'll help ya… If it'll get you to bed, like you should be." 

"O-OK." She said slowly. 

Leo and Casey both moved to help her up, and she looked back at the rest of them, smiling. 

"Thanks again, guys." She said, and her voice had begun to sound weary. "Good night." 

"Night." They all chorused. 

It was silent for a moment, before Raph sat down heavily on the couch. 

"I'd like to get a holda the car that did that to her." He said, hitting the couch cushion. 

"Does she even know who it was?" Don asked, sitting down on the couch next to his brother. 

"I don't think so." Leo shook his head. 

"Too bad." Mike added. The rest of them nodded. 

"We've got to make a conscious effort to make sure April is as comfortable as possible." Leo said after another moment had passed. He reached down to the table and grabbed a few papers. "These are her instructions, for what she can and cannot do. I suggest we read them over carefully." 

Mike nodded. "She's done so much for us, we need to do this for her." 

Don and Raph nodded. 

"Good." Leo said. "We're agreed then." He looked at his brothers. 

"Yep." Raph said, and he actually looked agreeable now. 

***************************************

Michaelangelo looked at the bedroom door warily. April had slept throughout the night, and most of that day. He knew she had to be bored in the bedroom, though, and he wanted to visit with her. But Leo'd said not to wake her. 

Mike listened intently for signs that she was awake. Hearing a slight rustling, he opened the door slowly. 

Mike peeked his head in the room. "Heya. Feel like some company?" 

April smiled at him and nodded slightly, then winced. "Sure." She said, bringing a hand up to gently swipe the hair out of her eyes. "Though, I'm not at my most presentable." She laughed weakly. 

"Ah," He said, walking over to the bed. "You always look presentable enough to me, girly." He chuckled. "Though, there are the questionable times; like, say, when you just get up…" 

She groaned. "Mikey… You're not supposed to make me laugh." 

He grinned. "Sorry." He said. "But, isn't laughter supposed to be the best medicine?" 

"Not when it hurts." She grinned, and swatted at him playfully. 

He held his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Alright, alright." He said. "I'll be good. I'll be at my most serious." He continued, then put on the most serious face that he could manage. Which only made April want to laugh all the harder. 

"OK, I'll quit." Mike said finally. They sat in silence for a moment. He looked up at her. She was looking down at the bed sheets. He almost winced when he saw how bruised her face was, and the black eyes that were still forming… Mike looked back down at his hands. 

Suddenly, he heard a sniff, and he looked over at April to see tears leaking down her face. 

"Are you OK?" He asked, worried. "Are you in pain or something? I can get Don, or Leo…" 

"No, no Mikey." She said, trying to manage a smile through her tears. "I'm not in pain…" 

Mike relaxed a little bit then. "Then… what is it?" He asked softly. 

April looked down. She'd tried so hard to be strong, but with everything that happened… She looked up at Mike, his face so worried, and her resolve broke. 

"I just…" She began. "I just feel so st-stupid." She got out. 

"Why?" Mike scooted closer to her. 

"Because, if I had been paying attention, none of this would have happened." _In more ways than one… _

"What are you talking about?" Mike asked gently. 

"If I had been paying more attention, and not been so caught up in my thoughts… Maybe I could've done something. I would have seen the car coming. I would have been able to stop, or turn or… or something!" She looked down, tears falling faster now. 

"April." Mike said. "None of this is your fault. You know that." He patted her leg comfortingly. He was surprised at her reaction. He'd never seen her so upset. 

She sniffed, not answering him. "And then you guys have to take care of me…" 

"We love taking care of you." Mike said, smiling. "Come on, you've taken care of us _tons _of times!" 

She smiled slightly, wiping her eyes. 

"Be pampered a bit." Mike continued, noticing her reaction. "You deserve it." 

"Oh Mikey." She laughed lightly. She patted his hand. 

"So, uh…" He began cautiously. "What was this big thing that you were so caught up in…?" 

She stopped, and looked at him. "I…" She began, then her eyes flew to the door, and Mike followed her gaze over. 

"Don't let me interrupt." Don stood, leaning in the door way. 

"You're not, dude." Mike said, motioning for his brother to come in. 

Don took a step inside the room, then stopped as he noticed the tear stains running down April's face. "April?" He moved towards her. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, Don." She tried to quickly wipe her face and eyes, trying to rid them of the tell-tale signs that she'd been crying. 

Don walked up to the bed. "Are you sure?" 

"Yeah." She said. "I'm just tired is all." She continued. 

"Well," Don said, looking over at Mike. "Maybe we should leave you alone, then." 

"No." April said. "You guys can stay. I want you to stay." She corrected, and motioned for Don to sit down in the chair beside her bed. 

"That hospital… It was so lonely." She shuddered lightly. "I really missed being here, with everyone…" Tears began to form again, and she tried to wipe them away. Then she sighed, and put her hands down on the bed, letting a few tears fall down her cheeks. She was tired of wiping them away. 

"I think she _is _tired." Don commented, noticing her distress. April smiled over at him. "Thank you, doctor." She said, and Mike laughed. 

"Yeah." Mike began. "You should've seen him at the hospital; even the _real _doctor was impressed." 

"You guys came to see me?" She asked softly. 

"Of course." Don said. 

"But…" She began. "You could've been caught." 

"Nah…" Don said. 

"We're ninja." Mike added, and April grinned at him. 

"Besides…" Don said. "It would've been worth it." 

April grinned over at him, new tears falling. 

"You should get to sleep." Don said softly. "You need it. It's the best thing for you right now." He reached over and caught her hand in his own. "We're glad to have you back, April." 

"I'm glad to be back, guys." She said, and felt her eyelids growing heavier as she spoke. She _was_ tired. She shut her eyes slowly. For the first time in a long time she felt… safe, she realized. It was a good feeling. She felt… like she was _home. _

She felt Mike move from the bed gently. 

"D'n go." She murmured, her eyes still closed. "You guys c'n stay." 

"We will." Don whispered. 

"Just movin' to a chair." Mike added softly. 

April nodded slightly, then settled into her pillow. She sighed contentedly. 

The two brothers were silent as her breathing became deeper. Don looked over at Mikey, and they shared a glance as April fell into a peaceful sleep. Then he looked down, and was almost surprised to see her fingers still entwined with his own. 

To Be Continued… 

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A/N - It occurred to me that I haven't had a disclaimer in awhile, so here goes: I do not own the TMNT, April or Casey. I do own Lindy, though. 


	30. Chapter 28 Realizations

Chapter 28 - Realizations 

Donatello looked down, his eyes widening as he realized that April's fingers were still entwined with his own. His gaze then shot up to Mikey, to see if he'd noticed anything. Mike was flipping through a magazine, seemingly oblivious to Don's movements. 

Don looked down again. He needed to let go, without waking April, and rousing Mike's attention. 

Problem was, he didn't _want _to let go. 

*************

Leo sighed, watching Raphael pace around the kitchen again. 

"What are you doing?" He finally asked. Raph stopped, and looked at him, as if almost surprised he'd been paying any attention to him. 

"It's kinda hard to feed Lindy, you know." Leo began when Raph looked over at him. "She just keeps watching you…" 

Raph grinned lightly, then walked forward, softly putting a hand on the child's head as he sat down. 

"So…" Leo began again, trying to feed Lindy. "What's up?" He asked, not looking over at his brother. 

"Not sure what you mean." Raph said. "Isn't something always up with us?" He grinned. 

"Don't avoid the subject." Leo said, still not looking at Raph. 

Raph swore softly under his breath. Leo wouldn't give up until Raph caved… or got ticked. 

Raph sighed. "I was just… thinkin', Leo." 

"About…?" 

Raph looked at his brother. "About lots of stuff… But…" He searched his brain. He needed something 

"I… was thinkin' about the city, Leo." 

"Oh?" Leo asked, looking over at him. 

"Yeah." Raph nodded. 

"Well," Leo began. "I miss it too, of course." He looked over at Raphael. "But you have to admit, there are perks to staying here." 

Raph nodded again. "Yeah…" 

"But we did come here to recuperate." Leo continued. "And Donnie's still not back to where he was…" 

"Maybe he doesn't want to be." Raph burst out, and instantly regretted it, as Leo turned to look at him. 

"What do you mean?" He asked slowly. "Did Don say something…" 

"No, no." Raph said quickly, holding a hand up. "Now, look. Donnie's never said _nothin' _to me about this, so don't you go asking him about it. It's just an… observation, is all." 

"An observation?" Leo repeated. 

"Yeah, Leo." Raph said. "And probably just my imagination, anyway." He continued, hoping to change the subject. 

Leo nodded slowly, a small frown on his face. 

"Besides." Raph said. "I'm sure he's just not thinkin' about getting back to the city now because of April and all…" 

Leo's gaze shot to Raphael with that. 

"Uh, again." Raph raised his brow. "Merely observation…" 

****************** 

Don slowly let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He let go, a little at a time, so as not to wake April, or alert Mike to what was going on. 

He'd just set her hand back on the bed, when Mike called out to him, making him jump. 

"Hey, Donnie." Mike exclaimed. "Look at all this stuff in these magazines!" He shuffled through them, then held one up. "Look: 'Your ideal weight by summer.'" He held up another. "Meet Your Dream Man'…. They're all the same! They all have the same stuff in them." He wrinkled his nose. "Why do girls read all these?" He said, then his eyes widened. "This year's fashions… swimsuit edition…" 

Don shook his head, and smiled slightly. 

Mike flipped through the magazine, then stopped. "Here they are…" He stopped, then wrinkled his nose and turned the magazine sideways a bit. "How do they have any fun at the beach at all wearing those?" He looked back over at Don. "They can't even move, I don't think. Look…" He held it over for Don to look at. 

"No thanks." Don put his hands up. "I've heard enough from you, that I don't want to know…" 

They both shared a grin, then were silent again. 

*************

"April?" Leo said, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking ab-…" 

"I just mean," Raphael interrupted. "That we're all worried about her. I don't think he's concentratin' on himself for right now." _I have **got **to learn to shut my mouth… _Raph thought to himself. 

Leo nodded, but the frown didn't go away. "I thought you meant…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Never mind." 

"Sorry, Leo." Raph sighed. Leo's eyes widened. It wasn't often he said that to him. Not without one of them receiving a bruise, at least. 

"I just…" Raph continued. "I'm a bit worried, is all. Casey…" He trailed off, thinking better of telling Leo about what Casey had said about having trouble. He shook his head. "Ahhh…" He groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Listen to me. Worryin' like this. I'm spending too much time with you." 

He looked over at Leo, who smiled at that, and he returned the grin. 

"Well." Leo pushed away from the table. "Speaking of April, I think it's time to take her medicine to her." He grabbed a container from the cabinet then turned back to Raph. "Watch Lindy for me?" 

Raph nodded. 

Leo grinned, then left the kitchen. He felt his smile widen slightly. His brother wasn't the only one who knew how to get out of a conversation… 

*************

"Alright." Raphael breathed as he came into the room. "This is the last one." He set down a box and then sat on the couch, next to Leo, who looked up from the book he was reading. 

"You guys need any help with that?" He asked. 

"Nope." Don said. "Not a thing… Unless you really wanna look through all this stuff." 

Leo grinned and shook his head, looking back at his book. 

Donatello stretched back, raising his hands above his head. He grinned grimly as he felt the tense muscles stretch. He looked over at the clock. They'd been doing this for hours, it seemed, but it hadn't been more than one hour. They had decided to go through everything that was salvaged from the wreck. The papers were the worst, though. Getting all of them put back together was a pain. Mike had mentioned maybe having it all finished before April was around, since he thought maybe it would upset her. 

Don didn't know where he'd gotten that from, but agreed that he could very possibly be right. _She's been talking to Mikey. _He thought to himself, and was both surprised and annoyed when a pang went through him at that thought. Was that… jealousy? He shook his head, silently reprimanding himself. Whoever she talked to was _her _business. 

He looked down by his feet, and smiled at the sight on the floor. Lindy was asleep, laying partly out of an overturned box she'd been playing in it while they cleaned. In her arms was one of April's shirts that Don was sure she'd gotten out of the laundry basket. That was a new thing she'd figured out, that unfolding freshly folded clothes was one of the funniest things to do. For her, at least. For the person who found her doing it, it wasn't so fun, as they had to re-fold everything. 

"She finally wear herself out?" Don almost jumped when Mike whispered close to his ear. He hadn't even heard him walk over. 

"Yeah." Don answered. 

"I'll put her to bed." Mike said, and Don nodded. He knew his brother had grown weary of cleaning a good while ago. Mike gently lifted the sleeping child, and carried her to her room. 

Raphael reached over and grabbed Mike's headphones after he left, and put them on. 

The room was silent for a few moments before they could hear Casey mumbling to himself. 

"Give me a break!" He finally said out loud. 

"Excuse me?" Don asked, looking over from his work. 

"You sent her out… for _this?!_" Leo looked over then. Casey held up an object that Leo couldn't identify. 

But obviously Don did. "Don't be ridiculous." He said softly, looking back down. "She was going there, anyway. I would never send her out for just _that_." 

The paused for a moment. "What in the world _is _this?" Casey asked finally. 

Don looked up again. "That is a part I need to finish the computer I'm working on." 

Casey snorted. "So that's what's so important to send someone out for." 

Don wrinkled his nose. "I just said; I didn't send…" 

"Oh, please." Casey interrupted. "Even if you didn't want her to, you knew she would." He said. "She always does." 

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Don asked, crossing his arms. Leo looked over from his book, and Raph took the headphones off. 

"You're a smart guy, Donnie." Casey sneered. "You want me to spell it out for you?" 

"Please." Don said dryly. "Enlighten me." 

Don's calm only seemed to fuel Casey's rage all the more. "It means," He began. "That maybe she wouldn't get into all this stuff if she wasn't so busy doing all kinds of crap for you!" He finally burst out. 

Silence filled the room at that. Mike, who had just come back downstairs, stopped at the bottom. He turned a surprised gaze to Leo, who just shook his head slowly. 

"Feel better?" Don finally said slowly. They all looked over at him. 

"Because that idea of yours is ludicrous." He continued calmly. Not the reaction Casey was looking for. 

"_My _idea is stupid?!" Casey shot out. "Where does that come…" 

"I _said _I would never send her out for just that piece." Don said again, this time his voice rising. "She was going there, and she offered to get it for me." He said, and Leo noticed a defensive tone come into his brother's voice. 

"I needed that piece, to finish my work. Because I contribute." Don finished. 

Casey snorted. "This place has been paid for for years." 

"But I still like to help out." Don said, and the others all looked back at him. "Plus, I have an actual responsibility… one that I don't run out on." 

Casey growled softly. Raph sat up more. More of this, and Casey was gonna go after his brother. 

"No…" Casey began, his voice low. "But one that's not even _yours _in the first place." 

All motion stopped at that. Even Raph seemed incapable of speech. 

A noise escaped Leo that surprised even him. That seemed to snap everyone into action. 

Raphael stood, his eyes blazing. Casey seemed to realize as soon as the words left his mouth, that it had been the wrong thing to say. 

"Jesus, Casey. Don't you know when to shut up?" Raph growled, walking over to the man. 

Leo, still dumbfounded by all this, looked over at Mike. He was surprised to see his normally laid-back brother's eyes narrowed. 

Don still looked thunderstruck. His mouth was open, and his eyes glazed as if he were deep in thought. 

Raph put a hand on Casey's arm, but Casey, still pumped up from the fight, jerked away. "Leave it, Raph." He snarled, walking a few steps away. 

Leo shook himself out of it, and walked over to his brother, who was still standing there, unmoving. 

"Don. Donnie." Leo shook his brother's shoulder lightly. "Don… Lindy's crying. Maybe you should go get her." 

Don heard Leo say that Lindy was crying, and he could faintly hear the sounds of her wails. How long had she been crying? And how had he not noticed? 

Don nodded slowly, then, clenching his jaw, he moved for the stairs. Lindy had been moved to the second floor while April was recovering. They didn't want her taking too many unnecessary steps. 

He had one foot on the step, and a hand on the banister when a voice called out to them. 

"What's going on out there?" April called out. It was in a voice sounding neither sleepy or just woken up. 

Leo saw his brother's shoulders sag slightly as he answered, softly. "Nothing, April… Just, Lindy's crying, that's all." Don then disappeared up the stairs. A few moments later, Lindy's cries stopped. 

In the silence that followed, Leo looked over at Raphael. His eyes were still lit up with anger, his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. 

Leo walked over to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. Raphael didn't look over as Leo stood beside him. 

"Go for a walk." Leo said quietly. When Raph didn't respond, he said it again, this time louder. "Raph… go walk it off." 

This time Raph complied, and left the room with a huff. 

Leo turned to Casey, who finally met his gaze. But before Leo could even say anything, Casey held his hand up to silence him. 

"I… I know, Leo, I…" He looked down, shutting his eyes tightly. He looked up a moment later. "I'm sleepin' in the barn." He finally said, pushing past Leo and going outside. 

Mike looked over at Leo after Casey left. 

"Whoa." He breathed, and his eyes were as big as saucers. 

"What was _that _all about?" He asked, and Leo shook his head. 

"I have no…" Leo began, but stopped, as they heard the door open and close again. 

Their eyes met, and Leo's heart sank. He knew it was either Don or Raph… Either way, he didn't want to deal with what they were going to do. 

Mike looked out the window. "It's Don." He said. "Let him walk it off. He won't do anything…" 

Leo nodded. He just hoped Mikey was right… 

To be continued… 

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A/N - First off: again, I really do like Casey. There is a specific reason for his actions. What that is, will be told… trust me. 

That aside, I also wanted to say that I am going to start thanking people, and answering any questions (that I can) here in the Author's Notes, since my email has been acting up every so often, and I can't reply to everyone that way. 

Again, a big thank you to all those who have been so supportive and helpful with this story. Thank you all. I do really appreciate it. 

Lexy8 - Hehe, I hope those are good tears! Well, thank you so much. I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. 

HeartofJade - Thanks! 

sdarkfire - Alright! Here's the update. Sorry it's a little late. And as for your question, I can't say yet! ;) 

neosun7 - Yes, interesting indeed! 

Next chapter - Dealing with the aftermath. 


	31. Chapter 29 Talking It Over

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Chapter 29 - Talking It Over

They both saw Don's head go past the window, heading away from the house. Leo stiffened, but Mike put a hand on his shoulder. 

"I'll go, dude." He said, and Leo nodded. 

Mike walked out the door, instinctively wrapping his arms around himself at the sudden cold. He looked around quickly, then caught sight of Donatello heading past the house. He jogged to catch up, then slowed as he came up to his brother. 

"Don…" 

"Leave me alone, Mikey." 

Mike almost stopped, surprised at the tone of his brother's voice. He'd never heard his brother say those words to him, and sound so much like he meant it. 

Undaunted, he caught back up to Donatello. 

"Where are you going?" He asked. When he got no answer, other than the determined look on his brother's face, he walked in front of Don and put a hand on his plastron, slowing him down. 

"What're you gonna do?" He asked, softer this time. 

"I _don't know_, Mike." Don shot back. This time Mike _did _stop. It caused Don to take a step to the side to avoid walking into him. But now, his pace slowed as he walked. 

Mikey let Don get a few steps ahead of him before walking slowly up to his brother. He was pacing now more than actually walking. 

"For the first time in my life…" Don began, pacing back and forth. "I have been presented with something that I don't know… that I don't have an answer for, and nowhere to look for one." He looked back over at Mike. "Do you know how that makes me feel?" 

Mike silently shook his head. He hadn't expected, well, _this_. He thought maybe he'd be calming Don down enough not to do something stupid, but not this. 

Don sat down heavily on the log they'd stopped by. "Do you know," He began, looking at the ground. "How it _kills _me that he might be right?" He said softly. 

"Who?" Mike asked, confused. "Casey?! Don, I…" 

"Well, technically, he _is _right… She's not really mine." Don said lowly, narrowing his eyes. He moved a hand to his head, rubbing his temple. 

Suddenly, he groaned, making Mike jump. He'd been listening to the noises that night in the country brought, and had gotten lost in the sounds around him. 

Mike looked over at his brother. "Don?" 

Don looked up to the sky, and Mike was surprised to see tears glistening in his eyes. 

"Did I do wrong, Mikey?" He asked quietly. 

Mike was confused, so he stayed quiet. 

"Did I… ruin things for her, by taking her like I did?" Don kept talking, keeping his eyes on the stars. "Maybe I ruined chances for her, that she could have had otherwise… I mean, she deserves everything, and I…" He looked down to the ground. "God, how selfish can I be…" 

Mike was silent for a long moment. He'd never imagined his brother had thought this way. He finally looked over at Donatello. Mike noticed the streaks running down his face, and he felt his own eyes swell. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and put a hand on Don's shoulder. 

"Donnie, nothing's _ruined_…" 

"Oh come on, Mikey…" Don shook his head. "She deserves the best. She deserves to live in a nice house, with all the toys in the world… Not hiding out in the sewers or here…" 

Mike was silent or another moment. He moved closer to his brother, sitting down next to him. 

"Do you love her?" He asked quietly. 

"What?" Don looked up quickly, meeting his brother's gaze. 

"Do you love her." Mike repeated. 

"Without question." Don whispered, an intensity in his eyes that his brother rarely saw. 

"Then I don't see the problem, bro." Mike said. Don opened his mouth to say something, but Mike held his hand up, stopping him. 

"Look, the way I see it, she's one lucky little girl." He said. "And not just because she has _me_ for an uncle." He winked, but his humor was lost on Don, who was looking back at the ground. 

"OK," He continued. "So she doesn't have the most toys… that's not important. Though," He mused. "Toys _are _fun…" He grinned, then continued. "Hey, _we_ didn't have tons of toys, and we turned out fine!" 

"We're _ninja _Mike! We…" Don shook his head. "I just want her to be a normal, happy kid. You know?" 

It was silent for another long moment. 

"I know." Mike said softly. "I want the same for her, and I'm sure Leo and Raph do, too. But, c'mon, bro. Who says what's normal?" He stood up, and walked in front of Don. 

"Lindy is happy, and healthy. And besides, she might not have the most toys, but she has all this!" He motioned around him. "All this space. And, she has those." He gestured to the stars above them. "Do you remember when we were younger how badly we wanted to see those?" 

Don nodded slightly and Mike continued. "So, dude, you _gave _her that!" He grinned, then sat back down next to Don. 

"And most importantly," Mike began quietly. "She is loved, more than any other little girl in the world. And you gave her that, too." 

Don looked up at Mikey, new tears falling. He sniffed. "When'd you get so smart, huh?" 

Mike laughed, putting an arm around his brother's shoulder. "I didn't… the talk show's did." 

Don laughed, and wiped his eyes. "Thank you, Mikey." 

"Oh, don't thank me. Thank Maury, Montel, Oprah, Dr. Phil…" 

Don grinned weakly. "Enough, you TV addict!" 

"Well, there's not a whole lot more to do, sometimes…" Mike grinned, glad to see Don's face light up in a smile. 

Don stood, and Mikey followed suit. "Feel better, bro?" Mike asked. "I mean, you're not gonna go kick Casey's butt now, are ya?" 

"I wasn't…" Don began, then cleared his throat. "Nope." He answered, and began walking back towards the house. "Not tonight…" He muttered under his breath. 

"Good." Mike caught up to Don, and slung an arm around his shoulders as they walked back to the house together. 

When they arrived back at the house, Don immediately went upstairs. 

Leo, who'd been waiting in the living room, threw a questioning look at Mikey. 

Mikey shrugged. "He'll be fine…" 

Leo nodded. "Good." He said, then sighed. "Raph came back a little bit ago. I was just waiting for…" He trailed off. Mike nodded. 

"Thanks, Mikey." Leo said. 

"It's what I'm here for, dude." 

Leo chuckled. "Well, thanks anyway." It was silent for another moment. 

"Hey, I was gonna watch the end of this movie, since I saw the whole beginning…" Leo began. 

"Say no more!" Mike exclaimed, jumping onto the couch, followed soon after by Leo. 

*************

Don got to the top of the steps, and he could hear Leo and Mike talking in muffled voices. He wasn't interested in hearing what they were saying, not really. There was only one thing he really wanted to see. 

Don walked towards Lindy's room, but stopped suddenly, when he sensed movement in the room. His muscles tensed as a million scenarios ran through his head. 

He crept quietly to the doorway, and looked in. He almost fell into the room at what he saw. 

Raphael stood next to the crib, stroking Lindy's hair, soft enough so she wouldn't wake. His face was no longer angry. In fact, it was the most peaceful that Don had ever seen his brother look. He watched, silently, for another moment. He knew full well if his brother knew he was there, he'd be in big trouble. But he indulged in another moment, then turned to leave. A sudden voice made him stop. 

"Y'got a good kid, here, Donnie." Raph said softly. 

Don turned back, looking at his brother. "She is, isn't she?" He smiled. "But she's not just mine. She's your niece. You've helped her be like this, too, as much as you hate to admit it." 

Raph grunted in response to that. 

"Hey," Don said. "The guys are watching a movie downstairs, and I was thinking of joining them. Wanna come?" 

Raph grinned. "What the heck." He said, and followed Don down the stairs. "Maybe Mikey even left us something edible…" 

"I heard that!" 

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To be continued… 

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A/N - This one's a little short, but I thought adding any more would actually take away from this chapter. I was really undecided about this one… I actually considered a confrontation with Casey, but, in the long run, I felt that a brother to brother talk fit much better. Not saying there's _never _gonna be a confrontation, but we'll see… ;) 

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LenniluvsBrian - Well, thank you… and, uh, well Donnie sure seems to like her quite a bit. Whether or not that makes him a "poor guy" remains to be seen! ;) (And that's the most I'll give away about _that_!) 

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Lady Venom - Thank you! And, yes, I still have more chapters left. Probably more than a few, too! So glad you're enjoying this. 

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Mickis - Hehe… like I said, I really did contemplate that! Thanks for the review! 

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Reinbeauchaser - Wow! I'm speechless. Thank you so much for the reviews. You know how much they mean to me! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! 

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neosun7 - Thanks! 

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MetaJedi - Thank you. 

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Next chapter - Oh, the weather outside is frightful… 


	32. Chapter 30 Let It Snow

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Chapter 30 - Let It Snow… 

"It's _snowing_!!" 

Don looked up from the paper, grinning grimly. He just knew Mikey would be excited about the snow that had accumulated overnight. 

Sure enough, a few seconds later he appeared in the kitchen. "Hey, Donnie, did ya see it out there? And it's still coming down!" Mike exclaimed, then took off back into the hallway. 

"I take it Mikey saw the snow." 

Don turned around quickly at the soft voice behind him. "April! You shouldn't be up!" He rushed over to help her to a chair. 

"Donnie," April began, easing herself down onto the chair. "I've been laying in that bed for days! If I didn't get up and move I would've gone nuts!" 

Don grimaced. "Well, how are you feeling, then? You really should have waited…" 

April cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I'm _fine _Don! I just needed some contact with people outside the confine of my room!" 

"You might think differently pretty soon…" Don mumbled under his breath. 

After a moment, April looked over to Don. "Donnie…" She began, but quickly shut her mouth. 

"Hey, April! How're you feeling?" Leo came into the room. He walked up to April, and put a hand on her good shoulder. 

"Well, I look like crap, and I _feel _even worse… but I feel better than I did a few days ago." She laughed. 

"You don't look like 'crap'." Don muttered. 

April threw him a quick glance before looking back to Leo. 

"Well, it's great to see you up and about." Leo said, then looked out the window. He stared out the window for a moment, then turned back to the rest of them. He sighed. "Where's Mikey?" 

A crashing noise upstairs punctuated the end of that sentence. 

April laughed. 

"Oh, he's already seen it, Leo." Don grinned. 

Leo rolled his eyes, but a small smile began forming on his face. 

"Guys. Guys!" Mike came running into the room. "Look what I got!" He dumped the contents of his arms onto the ground. "Cover up stuff. We can _so _go outside without freezing!" Mike paused for a second, waiting to see the other's reactions. His face brightened. "I'm gonna go wake Raph!" He said, then took off. 

The others looked at each other for a moment. 

"I'm… gonna go make sure Raph doesn't kill Mikey, ok?" Leo said, then took off up the stairs. 

April laughed as they heard the sound of feet pounding on the stairs. 

"Mikey really does like the snow, doesn't he?" She asked. 

"You can say that." Don began. "We really don't get much contact with it…" April nodded, and he continued. "But when we do… that guy amazes me. It seems like the cold doesn't even bother him." Don shivered at the thought. "Just another 'mystery of Mikey'." He said, then grinned. 

April returned the grin. A moment later, Raph came into the kitchen. 

"Uh, morning Raph." Don said, throwing a look at April. 

Raph grunted in response, walking over to the fridge. He sat down at the table. A few minutes later Leo and Mike joined them at the table. 

"You know." April said thoughtfully a moment later. "I could actually use you guys to get some stuff done outside…" 

Mike's face brightened, and Leo looked over at her. "Like what?" 

"Well, the driveway needs shoveled.." April said. 

Raph threw her a look. 

"Well, it _does_." April continued. "The more we put it off, the more the ice will build up, and then it'll be impossible to scrape up." 

Three heads swiveled to look at Don.

"Well, yeah, that's uh, true." He said, staring down at his plate. 

Raph sighed. "Alright." He said. "After I finish up, though…" 

"Yeah!" Mike said, and sprinted off to get ready. 

April laughed. "You just said that to get him to go." 

Raph shrugged. "Never said _why _I said it." He said, but winked over at April. A few moments later, he got up, mumbling something about going to get ready, and went upstairs. 

"Y'know…" April mused. "Raph took the early wakeup call pretty well." 

Leo scoffed. "That's because he's just glad it wasn't like the _last _time."

April looked at him curiously. 

"Last time," Leo continued. "Mikey decided to wake him up with a snowball he'd been saving… in July." 

April laughed, almost choking on her coffee. Leo gently patted her back, a smile on his own face. 

"That _was _probably the best reaction Mikey's ever gotten on a Raph wake up." Don mused, grinning. 

"I bet." April laughed, catching her breath. 

Leo and Don shared a grin across the table. It was good to see April laughing again. Even if just for awhile. She seemed so… tense lately. 

"OK, you two." April said suddenly. Both Don and Leo turned to look at her. 

She sighed. "You two aren't getting out of any work." She waggled a finger at them. "Or I can find something to do _in_side." 

Leo raised a brow. "I'll go make sure Raph doesn't make a snowman out of Mikey." He said, then left them room. 

April watched him go upstairs, then turned to Don. "You know, that's the second time this morning he's used Raph and Mike as an excuse to escape me?" 

"He's sneaky." Don smirked. "Wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Leo can be just as bad as Mikey." 

April snorted. "Surely, you jest." 

Don grinned. "Well, yeah, that was kind of an exaggeration…" 

April nodded. "But whatever works, am I right?" She winked. 

Don nodded, then stood. "April, are you sure you'll be ok in here by… by yourself?" 

She looked up at him. "Donnie, you guys will be right in the driveway! I think I can manage." She looked out the window. "And besides, I'm not really alone… Casey's right in the other room." She could feel him stiffen up at that remark, and almost wished she hadn't said it. 

"Right." Don muttered under his breath. "Anyway," He continued aloud. "I think I'll take Lindy out for a bit. She outta have fun in the snow…" 

************* 

April laughed, as she stared out the window. They were getting less and less work done as time went on. But that was ok. This was much more entertaining. Lindy's shrieks as Mikey chased her through the snow made April's grin grow wider. 

"I'm gonna getcha! I'm gonna getcha!" Mikey waggled his eyebrows when Lindy looked back at him. 

She took off towards the others, shrieking happily. 

"Dadadadada!" She yelled as she ran for Don. He looked up, a small smile on his face. 

Lindy ran into him, hitting his leg and falling down. 

"Y'ok, angel?" He asked, leaning down to pick her up. He held her up to him, and kissed her red cheeks as she laughed. 

"Alright," He said, setting her back down. "Go get him, Linds." 

She took off towards Mikey, until he made a movement towards her, then she turned, fell in the snow, and crawled quickly at another uncle. 

"E-yo! E-yo." She cried, crawling as fast as her legs would carry her. 

Leo chuckled, dropping his shovel and scooping her up. 

"Is mean old uncle Mikey trying to get you?" He asked, and the toddler nodded. 

"My-my." She said softly, and this time both Leo and Mike laughed. Lindy had quickly begun to pick up on their names, but hadn't _quite _got them right yet. 

Mike had a special affinity for the way she said Raph's name. 

"Hey, Lindy-bear…" He said, walking up to her, and she hid her head in Leo's shoulder. 

"Aw, c'mon, kiddo. I'm not chasin' you anymore." He grinned. "C'mon, now tell me… who's that over there?" He said pointing to Don. 

"Dada." 

"Right." He grinned again. "And who is _that_?" He pointed to Raph. 

"Affy!" Lindy cried, clapping her hands together, 

"That's right!" Mike said happily. "That's uncle Affy." He dissolved into laughter, and so did Lindy. 

Leo looked over at Raph, who sighed and shook his head, but a small smile could be seen on his face as he looked back down. 

Inside the house, April smiled as she watched the action outside. They were done with the driveway now, and had moved into the yard. 

"What're they _doin' _to her out there?" 

April jumped, causing her to wince, as Casey came up to stand beside her. 

"They're playing." She grinned happily. 

Casey grunted at that. "Well, they're makin' enough noise…" 

"Oh, stop it, you old scrooge." April lightly hit his arm. She looked up at him. "You should go out there with them." She said. "It could be fun." 

Casey coughed and looked down. 

"They won't stay mad at you forever." April said softly. "You know that. They're probably over it already…" 

Casey shook his head. "Nah." He said. "I mean, I know that… but I'll stay put." 

April shook her head, and sighed, returning her attention to the action outside. 

************* 

Leo took a few steps away from the others, wanting to take a moment away from the snowball fight that was undeniably impending. 

He watched his brothers, as they enjoyed the air around them. He knew, as did they, that at any moment they might be forced to return to the sewers again. Away from this freedom they had grown accustomed to. Away from the space and the… air. Leo breathed in deeply. The air here was wonderful. So clean and pure. The only smells came from the changing seasons. It was perfect. 

Leo grimaced inwardly. He knew nothing lasted forever, least of all something so "perfect". 

A stray snowball went flying towards his head, and Leo moved an inch to miss it. He looked back at the others. 

Mike was leaning down, his hands on his knees, laughing almost hard enough to fall over. Don was just righting himself, after what looked like an unexpected tumble. Even Raph was smiling in the background. 

Lindy took the moment to try an escape, and she took off across the yard. Don noticed, and quickly stood, jogging towards her. 

Leo frowned. He was _still _favoring that leg a bit. Not enough for the untrained eye to see, but Leo knew. Leo shook his head. It was _way _past the time that his brother should have been fully healed, and back up to par. Donnie knew that. 

Raphael's' comment from their conversation a week or so ago ran through Leo's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If Donnie had a problem, he would tell him. Wouldn't he? 

************* 

April held her breath as Lindy took off away from the others, but her still shaky run slowed her down, and Don easily caught up with her. He brought her back to the others, and said something to Mikey, who nodded. 

"She is a good kid, though." Casey said softly, from behind April. He moved up to stand beside her, watching the others outside. 

April looked down for a minute, biting her lip. Then she looked over to Casey, and reached over, putting a hand on his arm. 

He looked over at her questioningly. 

"Casey…" She began. "We need to talk." 

************* 

Outside, Raphael rubbed his hands over his arms. Not that he'd admit it, but the cold was seeping through his clothes. Mikey'd found some good stuff to cover them up, protecting them from the temperature, but it was quickly becoming 'not enough'. 

His gaze traveled over the others, and to the house. A movement in the window caught his eyes, and he almost overlooked it. He didn't want to see what he was. Well, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see it or not. Doing a double take, he focused on the scene in the window. 

April and Casey were talking, almost friendly-like, it seemed, and her hand lay comfortably on his arm. _Oh no… _He thought. This couldn't turn out well. He stole a glance at his brother, hoping he hadn't yet noticed. But by Don's rigid stance, his eyes set on the house, Raph knew his brother had seen what he did. 

Raph watched the scene for a moment longer, with bated breath. He didn't know what he expected, but it must not have been what happened next, because even _he _was surprised. 

Casey leaned down, and hugged April. 

Not just a hug, a prolonged one. And when he stood, he gently pecked April on the cheek. 

Raph's heart sank. He looked back over at his brother. For a moment, he could swear he saw his brother's eyes become glassy, but it was quickly blinked away. 

"Time to go inside." Don said briskly, leaning down to pick Lindy up. She immediately began fighting against him, tears falling down her cheeks. 

"Aw, c'mon, Donnie… I'm not cold yet." Mikey frowned. "At least let Lindy stay… She wants to." 

Leo looked over at his brothers. Don's shoulders slumped momentarily, and he looked down. 

"Fine." Don said quietly. "You know what, you're right. She wants to stay, so let her. Just make sure to come in before you get hypothermia." He said, then headed around the back of the house. 

Leo looked over to Raph, and was surprised to see his brother looking worried. A blink hid that again, and Raph caught Leo's gaze. He nodded towards the house, signaling something had happened. A raised eye ridge told Leo they'd discuss it later. 

Raph sighed again. He didn't know what had happened while they were outside, but he hoped it could all be explained. 

He snorted softly at that. Right. Because they'd had so much luck with stuff like that before. 

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To Be Continued… 

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Author's Note - I felt that a less angst filled chapter for a change would be fun… and it was! Hehe… unfortunately, the end of this chapter ended up being not as fun for some of them. But don't worry, all will explained soon. And remember… not everything is as it seems! (What would be the fun in that?) ;) 

And a big thanks to all those who continue to support this story. I love and appreciate you all. 

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Thanks - 

Reinbeauchaser - Thank you! I thought going the "talking it out" route would be better… and I'm happy with the result. I'm glad it went over as well as I'd hoped! 

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Lady Rane - Hehe, that's ok. Don't worry about it. I thank you for the continued support. And yeah, Lindy's got Raph now, I think. Right around her little baby finger… ;) 

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Aicha - Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it! 

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Gummadoon Fanatic - Thanks! Here's the update! ;) 

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Ramica - Thanks. I felt it important to show that Don has worries and concerns, just like any parent. And I felt Mikey was the perfect person for him to talk to. I always like showing Mikey in another light… 

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Heather - Thank you! Heh, Donnie's my favorite, too (if you couldn't tell). And here's the update! Hope I didn't make you _too_ impatient… ;) 

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LenniluvsBrian - Thanks. And, uh, still gonna have to wait and see on Don's "condition"… Hehe. 

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Mickis - Thanks. As for the TV night, I'm still wondering how long that remote control remained intact… lol 

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neosun7 - Wow, thanks! 

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Vampy - Thanks. I enjoy showing that, at the end of the day, they're still a family. 

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Next chapter - Coming soon! 


	33. Chapter 31 Changes

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Chapter 31 - Changes 

Casey grunted as he lifted the last bag into his arms. He shut the car door with his foot, and made his way into the kitchen. 

He dumped the bags with the rest of the stuff he'd bought, then glanced over at the other person in the room. 

"You sure you got enough stuff?" He asked wryly. 

"Shhh." April chided softly, as she silently looked over the packages on the table. Then she looked back over at Casey. "Where's the other can of yams?" 

He rolled his eyes. "I had to fight some lady to get _this _many. I'm not risking my neck just so Mikey can have enough yams." 

"Raph…" She corrected quietly, then sighed. "OK." She said. "These'll do." 

"Great." Casey said, heading or the door. "My job's done then." He said, then left into the living room. 

April sighed again, watching him leave. She sat at the kitchen table, putting a hand to her head. A moment later, the phone began ringing, breaking he out of her thoughts. She rose slowly, making her way towards it. 

************* 

"You just gonna mope around forever?" 

Raph's voice jarred Don out of his stupor. He looked over at his brother, who was standing in the doorway to his room, arms crossed. 

"I'm not moping." Don replied, looking back to the computer. 

Raph snorted quietly at that, and moved farther in the room. "Right." He said. "You haven't spent this much time on that computer since we got up here." He walked up and leaned against the desk. "We thought maybe you'd finally decided to become social." He grinned. 

Don sighed. "I'm not moping." He repeated. 

The grin left Raph's face. "C'mon, Donnie. This is _me _you're talkin' to." He chuckled quietly. "Some might say I'm the expert on it." His face turned serious again. "So don't pull this crap that you're _not _mopin'." 

"I'd just… rather work on this, OK?" Don replied, turning back to the computer. 

Raph sighed. "I saw what you did, Donnie." 

Don turned to his brother. 

Raph sighed. "I really don't wanna get into this." He mumbled to himself. "Look," He said, raising his voice again. "It's been days, ok? And tomorrow's Thanksgiving, and if there's any moping, it'll be done by me! I've got money I don't have on the game tomorrow…" Raph tried to get a grin, but to no avail. He walked to the door. "Look, Donnie, you wanna spend the rest of your life hidin' in here, be my guest. I'm not gonna force you to come out of it…" He said, and looked back from the doorway, sighing. "Maybe it's not what it seems, Donnie." He said, shrugging, then he left. 

Don sighed, clicking out of the program he was working on. Raph was right. Don smiled, thinking about that. He knew his brother hated having talks like that… but he appreciated it all the same. Maybe he _was _moping. Don pushed away from the desk, and stood. He'd spent too much time in hiding as it was. 

************* 

Leo jumped, delivering a kick to his opponent, who jumped into an easy back flip, landing smoothly a moment later. 

"Nice counter." Leo said, relaxing his stance a bit. 

"Thanks." Mikey grinned, relaxing also. 

"Take a break?" Leo suggested, and Mike nodded. Leo had been surprised, and pleased, when Mikey had agreed to get in a little sparring practice that afternoon. Usually Mikey was using his every available resource to get out of practice. 

Leo shook his head. He figured Mikey needed to get out of the house as much as he did. 

"Um, Leo?" 

Leo turned to his brother. He must have been lost in thought for awhile now, because Mikey had a concerned look on his face. 

"Y'ok?" Mikey asked, and Leo nodded. 

"Yeah… Just thinking is all." 

Mike smiled and nodded. "Yeah." He said, then walked up to Leo and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It'll all be ok, bro." He said, winking. 

Leo smiled a little at that. Mikey was always perceptive of what others were feeling. Sometimes it got annoying, like when you didn't want anyone to know what you were thinking or feeling. Other times, like now, it was a good thing. 

"So, who's up for another round?" Mike grinned casually, and took a few steps back. 

Leo grinned, and backed up. "Whenever you're ready, bro." 

*************

Don opened the door to the kitchen slowly. A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw April was the only occupant of the room. She sat at the table, chopping something on the cutting board. 

He slowly walked over to her. "Anything I can help with?" He asked softly. 

She jumped slightly, and he frowned. 

"N-No." She said, softly, then went back to cutting. 

"April?" He asked, cautiously. "Is something wrong?" 

"Nope." She said, but he could hear her sniff a few times. He said nothing, just sat down in a chair next to her. A few moments passed before she acknowledged him again. 

"I was fired, Donnie." She said flatly. 

"What?" His eyes snapped up to look at her. 

She sniffed again, continuing to chop the vegetables. "They said they were 'downsizing'… what a load of crap." She muttered. 

It was silent for another long moment. 

"I'm sorry." Don said quietly, even though, on the inside, he was truly conflicted on this. 

She sighed loudly, and set the knife down. "What am I gonna do?" She asked softly. "Those bills are so expensive…" 

Don was silent for a moment, putting a hand on his mouth as he thought. "April… Don't worry about it. We'll figure something out." 

She shook her head. "It's just too much." She said. "The bills, my car… my apartment." She moaned, and her whole stance drooped. 

He stayed silent, letting her go. She bit her lip for a moment, before looking back at him. 

Don was despaired to see tears in her eyes. 

"It's just so unfair." She said, standing. "It hurts to stand, it hurts to sit… my face looks like I blocked a basketball with it… And now this." She was getting worked up now, more upset now than ever. 

He didn't know what to say. She needed to get this out of her system. She made her way over to the counter, where she stood, hunched over it. 

Don frowned deeply. He hadn't known she was feeling so bad about everything. He looked over at her, and saw her head bowed down, tears falling freely to the countertop. He was soon brought out of his reverie when he could hear her softly moaning. 

He stood quickly. "April?" 

"I think I did too much." She said, standing stiffly. He walked up to her. 

"My back." She said, shutting her eyes. "I lifted the bags from the store and I think I pulled something again." 

Don held in a chiding remark. She _knew _she wasn't supposed to be lifting anything… He was broken out of his thoughts when she drew in a sharp breath as another spasm hit her. 

"Come on." He said, leading her gently to the table. "Sit." He told her. "And lean your head down on the table, or your arm." He continued, then tentatively put his hands on her back. 

The breath in his throat hitched as he felt her skin, warm beneath the t-shirt she wore. 

She groaned again softly, and he switched back into motion, drawing up everything he'd remembered reading in the papers she'd brought home from the hospital. 

He softly ran is hands down hr back, gently kneading the muscles that moved beneath his touch. 

"Oh yeah." She breathed softly. "That feels good." 

He grinned at that. "Good." He said, then took a deep breath. "You know, April," He began. "I understand that things have sucked lately and all… but this whole thing about your face…" He said, then stopped. 

April could hear him breathing as he continued working on her back. She suddenly realized that she'd been holding her breath, and let it out slowly, so he didn't know she had been holding it. She wanted to look at him so badly, but her position and her injuries prevented her from doing so. 

He chuckled softly, then leaned over her more. Her breath caught as his plastron pressed into her back more. 

"April." He said softly. "No matter what you think, you've never, ever stopped being the least bit beautiful." 

A lump formed in her throat, and she was afraid she would cry. 

It was painfully silent for a few moments that felt like forever. Then, with her good arm she reached up and caught his hand as it moved back up to her shoulder. 

She squeezed it lightly, in thanks for what he'd said, and he returned the gesture. Then, he silently returned to the task at hand, and neither of them spoke again. 

************* 

"You ready to head back?" Leo asked Mikey, who stood off to the side, rotating his wrist a few times. 

"Yep." Mike said, brightening up. 

They walked in almost complete silence. A rarity for Mikey, which only made Leo even more convinced that he had something on his mind. 

"Hey." Mike said suddenly. Leo looked over at him. "I'm gonna go for a walk…" Mike continued, and Leo nodded. 

"I'll be back soon." Mike said as he began walking off towards the forest. 

Leo nodded, and held in a 'Don't worry'. He continued walking towards the house. As he approached, he could see the light on in the kitchen. A closer look revealed two figures in the room. 

Leo stopped as the picture became clearer. Don sat next to April, and she leaned against him as she talked. 

Leo moved over so that he was out of their view, and watched them for a moment longer. They looked so comfortable… 

He turned away, not wanting to pry. Leo walked over to a tree and leaned against it. He closed his eyes momentarily. April and Casey's little 'conversation' the other day had not gone unnoticed by him. Neither had the changes in how they'd been acting. He sighed, and decided to go in through the back door. He just hoped his brother knew what he was getting into… 

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To Be Continued… 

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Author's Note - Yeah, it's a bit short, and also a bit on the choppy side, I think. But that's actually what I was going for, a bit, here. Just a bunch of moments that represent (like the title suggests) some changes for some of them. Some more obvious, even more less obvious. And I know that April and Casey's conversation didn't really get a real mention here… but not to worry, there's a reason. Isn't there always…? ;) 

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Thanks - 

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Reinbeauchaser - Thanks for your review. Yeah… Sooner or later, it will become obvious how different they are… And that is going to come into play in the second part of this story. *looks around, realizing she might have said too much* ;) But it's something, while sad, I believe is important to realize. Don has already started coming to that realization, and it will be discussed further. 

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Ramica - Thanks. Hehe, I had a bit of a laugh over the mental image of Mikey doing that… 

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Heather - Hehe, thanks! Here's your next chapter, albeit a bit late… ;) 

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neosun7 - Hehe, yeah, I'm sure Mikey'll never let him forget that one. Thanks for the review. 

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Gummadoon Fanatic - Thanks! 

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Mickis - Thanks. And, uh, heh… I'll sure do my best. ;) 

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Lady Venom2 - Heh, we'll see… all in good time, all in good time… ;) Thanks for the review. 

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Aicha - Aw, thanks! And don't worry about it, I'm the same way with stories I like! 

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LenniluvsBrian - Well, uh, heh… that would be a sight… *shuts mouth before she says too much* ;) Thanks for the review! 

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Next chapter - Yes, it's a few months late (almost five to be exact…) but it's Thanksgiving in the farmhouse! Oh, the insanity… ;) 


	34. Chapter 32 For This We Give Thanks

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Chapter 32 - For This, We Give Thanks… 

"Ba! Ba ba ba ba ba BOOM!" 

Leo watched with an amused grin as Lindy got up again, preparing to re-do the cycle all over again. 

She stood, the ran a few feet, and fell into her latest favorite toy: a pile of cushions on the floor. _Simple, yet effective. _Leo thought, watching her. For some reason, this was her favorite thing in the world for her at the moment. And it was pretty amusing for Leo, too. 

Leo looked up and Lindy jumped as the door swung open, and a hurricane swept through. Technically, two hurricanes; code names Casey and Raphael. 

"Only an hour 'til kickoff time!" Casey said, setting a few bags on the table in front of the TV. 

"Gotta get ready then." Raph said, grabbing a couple more bags, and disappearing into the kitchen. 

Leo looked at Casey wide-eyed for a moment. "How much did you guys…" 

"Buy?" Raph finished for his brother, coming back into the living room, tossing a few bags of chips onto the couch. He flopped down next to Leo and opened a bag of chips. He looked over to Leo. "We only bought the essentials. Football food! Chips, beer… um, those cheese-crisp thingies that Mikey likes…" 

Leo shook his head. "And we have to spread it all over the room, why?" He asked. 

Raph looked around, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a hoot from Casey. 

"Football!" Casey jumped over the back of the couch, landing next to Raph and half-crushing a bag of the chips. 

Leo looked at the clock. "I thought the game didn't start until after one…" 

"Pre-game, dude." Casey said, taking a handful of pretzels and shoving them in his mouth. 

"You gonna be in here the whole time?" Raph turned to Leo. 

"Apparently not." Leo muttered, then stood, and picked up Lindy. "Though, I hope no one minds if I sneak in a bit later to check the scores?" He said sarcastically, but his words fell on ears deaf to anything but football stats at the moment. He sighed, walking out of the room. 

"Wanna see what everyone else is up to?" He asked, and Lindy nodded furiously. They went into the kitchen. Mike and April were in there, cooking the food. Don sat at the table, watching them, and amused look on his face. 

Leo sat down next to Don, and set Lindy down on the floor. "What's going on?" 

Don waved his hand lightly. "Shh… just watch. Right now, April is trying to teach Mikey how to make that topping for the lemon meringue. This is his second try. They just got the first one cleaned up…" 

Leo lifted his foot slowly. "I think I found a spot they missed…" He grimaced as his foot stuck to the floor. 

"I could give you two something to do, you know." 

Both jumped, and looked over to see that April was now staring at them, wield a stirring spoon covered with sticky meringue menacingly. 

"Hey." Don held his hands up. "I was sitting here, being good, for a long time…" 

April turned to Leo, still brandishing the spoon like a weapon. He simply pointed behind her and said, "Your pies." 

She turned slowly, catching Mikey taking his finger out of the apple one that had been cooling on the counter. 

"Mikey!" She shrieked. 

"What?!" He said, knowing he was caught. 

"You know full well what you did, Michaelangelo." She said lowly. 

"Ooohh. Full name." Don said, smirking. "Mikey's in trouble…" 

"I was just giving Lindy a taste." Mike explained half-heartedly, and April advanced on him. "She wanted one, didn't you, Linds?" Mike turned pleading eyes on the child. April turned and looked at her also. Lindy smiled. 

April was silent for a moment, and then looked back to Mike. "Touch another pie, and you're eating the whole thing yourself." 

Mike's face brightened at this remark, and it was all Don could do to hold in a laugh. Leo was having trouble controlling the smile threatening to overtake his face. April had meant that as a punishment, but trying to pull that on Mikey was kind of missing the point. 

"If I touch the turkey," Mike began. "Can I have that all to myself, too?" 

Don and Leo wisely chose that moment of distraction to sneak out of the kitchen. Once out in the hallway, their faces lit up with smiles. 

"Remind me that April gets stressed around Thanksgiving." Leo said to Don as they began walking down the hallway. 

"Thanksgiving?!" Don smiled. "Wait until Christmas!" 

They both laughed as they walked. Leo paused by the living room door, but from the sounds of it the game had started, and Casey was already losing… Leo looked at Don, then shook his head slowly. Don nodded, and they continued walking. 

************* 

Raph growled softly as the team he'd been rooting for lost another down. 

"What's the matter, Raphy-boy?" Casey jeered, leaning back into the couch. "Team having a bit of trouble?" He snickered. 

"I'll tell ya what's gonna have some…" He began, then stopped as a great crash came from the kitchen. He jumped up, followed quickly by Casey, and ran into the kitchen. 

When he got there, a white haze filled a corner of the room. _Smoke. _He thought immediately, and ran over to the corner. Then he stopped, wrinkling his nose. That didn't smell like smoke. As the haze cleared, he could see April leaning down over the counter. He immediately went to her side. 

"April?" He asked, concerned. She looked up at him, and tears filled her eyes. She was laughing. 

"I'm… ok…" She gasped out, then pointed over at the other corner of the room. Raph looked where she pointed and stopped. 

Mikey stood, half of him covered in… flour, Raph figured out. He was muttering and trying to wipe it off. 

Raph looked down then. Lindy looked up at him, her blue eyes a stark contrast to the white that covered her head and face. 

He let out a chuckle. He tried to contain the smile that was creeping onto his face, but he couldn't. They both looked _too _funny… 

A second later, Don and Leo appeared at the doorway. They pushed past Casey, who'd stopped in the middle of the room after seeing the scene, and ran up to them. 

Don took one look at the mess and groaned, rolling his eyes. "Jeez…" He muttered under his breath. 

Leo smiled and crossed his arms. "So, what happened here?" 

April had finally caught her breath, and turned to the rest of them. "Mikey caught Lindy trying to pull the bag of flour off of the table, and tried to stop her…" She took a deep breath, trying not to laugh. "But he tripped over the pans she was playing with and dumped the whole thing all over themselves." She dissolved into giggles again. 

Don shook his head, grinning. "Looks like bath time for you, baby…" He reached down to pick up Lindy, effectively covering himself in flour, also. "Though," He continued, grinning grimly and looking down at his now flour-colored plastron. "I _should _make your uncle Mikey do the honors…" 

"Baff!" Lindy clapped her hands together, throwing flour everywhere. Mikey laughed, and Don threw him a look. 

Leo sighed. "Mikey, go get cleaned up. I'll help April with the food while you do…" 

"And if you don't hurry," Don began, looking over at Mikey. "_I _will…" 

That was enough for Mikey to go flying from the room. 

The others laughed, and Don left to go get both himself and Lindy cleaned up. 

April looked around the room, then groaned. "Ooh, this place needs cleaned up badly. And those guys just escaped…" 

************* 

A few hours later, they all congregated in the dining room around the table, flour free and ready to eat. 

They finally sat as Don and Raph finished setting the table with all the food they had prepared. 

"Whoa." Michaelangelo's eyes widened at the array of food in front of them. 

April looked around the table. All their eyes were fastened on the food on the table. She could practically _see _them salivating… 

Raph licked his lips, and reached for a roll. 

"Wait!" April exclaimed suddenly. "We can't eat yet." 

"Why not?" Mike asked despairingly. 

"We have to say what we're thankful for." April said. "That _is _what you're supposed to do on Thanksgiving…" 

Mike looked longingly at the food. 

"Oh, Mikey you can wait a few more minutes. You practically ate your whole meal while you cooked!" 

Mike ducked his head sheepishly. 

"I'll start." April said, and held out her hands, gesturing for the rest of them to join hands. She took Don and Raph's hands in her own and looked around at them, smiling. 

"I'm thankful," She began. "For friends…" She stopped. "For _family, _being here all together this holiday… and for many more to come." 

"Hear, hear." Raph added, and April laughed and continued. 

"For the addition of this beautiful little girl with us." She squeezed Don's hand then. "And for the friends and family who couldn't be with us this day." 

It was silent for a moment, until Mikey piped in with, "And that the food was done in time." 

They all chuckled at that, and unclasped their hands. 

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Leo grinned. 

April grinned at that, then looked around the table. 

"OK, guys…Dig in!" 

************* 

"Oh, I am so full…" Mikey groaned, sitting back on the couch. 

"Me, too." Don agreed, and Leo nodded. 

"It was worth the pain." Leo said, sitting back, grinning. 

"It was?" Mikey asked, looking over at him. Just then they could hear April calling from the kitchen. 

"Desserts ready!" 

Don and Leo both groaned. Mike's eyes lit up. He stood, and began walking towards the kitchen. 

"I thought you were full." Don said, watching him walk by. 

"And in pain." Leo continued. 

"I've suddenly found my second wind, as it were." Mikey smiled, and went into the other room. 

"That guy's insane." Don said. Leo nodded his agreement. 

There was silence for a moment, and Leo looked back over at Don. "Wanna join him?" 

Don sat up. "Well, can't let Mikey have _all _the fun… or pie." 

They both laughed, and walked into the kitchen. 

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To Be Continued… 

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Author's Note - Hehe, here we have it, Thanksgiving in the Turtle household. Heh, I rather enjoyed writing this chapter… ;) 

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Thanks - 

Reinbeauchaser - Thanks! Alright, I won't give anything away… ;) And, I thank you again for what you sent me. You know I love it! It's awesome. Thanks again! 

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Mickis - Thanks. Yeah, April's feeling have been a bit neglected so far. But I feel it's an important part to the story that will be realized soon. 

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LenniluvsBrian - Thanks! 

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neosun7 - Thanks so much! :D 

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Lexy8 - Hehe, thank you. ;) 

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o-so-impatient-one - Hehe, I don't think you're missing anything, really… the situation as a whole is confusing… but feel free to read it again. ;) Oh, and this one was a little bit faster for ya! ;) 

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Goddess Child - Thanks! 

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Next chapter coming soon! 


	35. Chapter 33 The Truth

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Chapter 33 - The Truth… 

Casey sighed as he zipped up his bag. He glanced up at the clock quickly, then looked back down at his stuff. He'd have to be faster, or…

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts, and he looked over at the door way. 

"Hey." April said softly, leaning against the doorframe. 

"Hey." He said, looking back to his work. 

"Are you almost done?" she asked, and he nodded gruffly. 

"Yeah." He said, shoving a few more things into an already over-extended suitcase. 

There was silence for a few more minutes, as she simply watched him. 

"You don't have to go, you know…" She said, her voice barely more than a whisper. He tried to decide if this was because Lindy was napping in the other room, or if it was… something else. 

"Yeah, I do, April." He said, not looking back up at her. "Because if I don't…" He shook his head. "Things won't be… good." 

She stayed silent, thinking for a moment, and then nodded slowly, tears filling her eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Casey." She said, meaning so much in those three words. 

He sighed. "For what? Telling me?" He looked down. "I'm not mad, April… I should've guessed… but that's my own fault." 

She sighed also. "No, it's not… I never should have done what I did… Maybe in more ways than one." 

He looked up at her then. "I don't want the 'poor me' act, April. You got yourself… all of us into this, and now, well…" He trailed off, closing the last of his bags. 

"Look, that's it." He said, walking over to the doorway. He looked down at her as he passed. "I'm leaving." He said simply, and she knew he was saying more in those two words than most would think. 

She nodded slightly, And reached over to hug him. He was stiff and resistant at first, but then returned the hug quickly and gently. 

"Call us when you get… wherever you're going." She said, and he nodded. "Raph'll love to hear from you." 

He simply nodded again, then walked down the stairs. She could hear the door slam shut, and his engine rev, and he was gone. 

She leaned against the wall, letting the tears stream down her face. He was right. She'd gotten them all into this, it was only fair to tell them the truth. She only hoped the truth wouldn't be too much to handle… 

************* 

Mike looked over at Don, shaking his head slightly. His head was beginning to hurt now. 

The training session had been going so well, up until they paired off for sparring. Now, he and Don were off to the side, watching as Leo and Raph got in each others faces. _It **had** been a bit too long since this had happened_, Mike thought wryly. 

Don crossed his arms, watching the fight with minimal interest. He sighed heavily. Though, he knew that he was better off just staying _away _from the action. But if it got too far along… 

"I'm not stupid, Leo. Don't condescend me!" Raph growled, his fists clenched tightly at his side. 

"I'm _not_." Leo said, his own hands beginning to move in an attempt to calm down. "What I _did _say, though, was that this whole kick of yours all of a sudden…" 

"It's not all of a sudden, Leo! You _know _I'd said this before…" 

Don sighed again, tuning them out. This could go on for awhile… 

************* 

April walked slowly into the bedroom, trying not to wake the sleeping child. She leaned over the crib, looking down at the peaceful expression on her face. 

April stared at Lindy for a moment, just watching her, feeling her emotions rise again. That had been happening all too often for her own tastes lately. 

"I'm sorry." She whispered quietly, reaching down to stroke the soft hair that covered Lindy's head. "I'm so, so sorry…" 

She let her tears fall down her face as she repeated the phrase over and over again. 

If things went as badly as they could, this might be the last time she'd be allowed to see the child. 

************* 

Mike sighed in relief. Raph had stomped off angrily, and without there being any real physical fighting. To be honest, he wasn't even quite sure what had even _happened _to bring the fight up. Leo and Raph had been sparring with each other, so he'd been distracted. 

He shook his head. No matter. It was over now anyway. 

"How about we head up to the house?" Mike heard Don say suddenly. He turned to see Leo's reaction to this. If they did, it would mean cutting the practice down time-wise, and Mike knew that Leo hated to do that; especially since they hadn't really practiced this extensively for a long time. 

Leo sighed, and Don looked back up at the house, almost nervously. 

"Alright." Leo said quietly, a note of dejectedness in his voice. 

Mike blinked, surprised. Leo didn't usually give in that easily. 

Don nodded, then began walking back up to the house. Leo followed shortly after, quickly catching up to his brother. Mike trailed behind, hearing his brothers start to talk quietly. 

************* 

April was waiting for them just inside the living room when they first came home. She looked up as they entered, smiling shakily. 

"Hey, guys." She said. "Lunch is on the table, and…" She trailed off, looking down. Leo noticed her nervously fiddling with a string on her shirt. 

"Is Raph with Casey?" Leo asked, and April looked up at him quickly, then back down. 

"No." She said quietly. "Casey's gone." 

"What?" Leo and Don spoke together. 

"He… had something to take care of, and he had to leave right away." Her voice grew quieter as she went on, and Leo raised a brow. She was lying. 

"Anyway," She continued quietly, "Raph's upstairs, so… he's ok…" 

"Alright." Don said slowly. 

"Let's go get some lunch." Mike broke in, trying to break the tension in the air. "I'm starving. We still got some of the turkey left?" 

"On the table, Mikey." April said, and her eyes drifted to Don. "Donnie? I need to talk to you." 

"OK." Don agreed, worried by her careful tone and demeanor. 

April nodded, then looked at Leo. "You guys go eat… I'll send Raph down." She said, the headed for the stairs. 

Don looked at Leo, who shook his head slowly, also puzzled over the sudden shift in mood. 

Raph passed Don on the steps, looking a lot more calmed now than he was not too much earlier. Don continued upstairs, and passed by his room, then doubled back as he saw April in there. 

He walked into the room, and looked at her. She was nervously moving her hands around, twisting them, as if it would make what was obviously troubling her a little easier to say. 

He sighed. "April… You know whatever it is, you can tell me." 

She looked up at him, and her eyes filled with tears. "Donnie, I… I know who Lindy's parent's are." 

************* 

Mikey looked up and grinned as Raph came into the room. He sat next to Mike and reached for a plate. 

"You're done early." He commented, still not looking at Leo. 

"We decided to… take it easy the first time out." Leo said, not looking at Raph, either. 

It was silent for a few more moments as they ate. 

"Casey took off while we were out." Raph said flatly. 

"I heard." Leo said, finally looking up at his brother. "April told us when we got in." He looked back at his plate. He knew his brother was somewhat disappointed. Sometimes Raph got along better with Casey than with them. At the same time, though, Leo knew his brother understood Casey just taking off like that. They were so alike in so many ways. 

"Yeah, well…" Raph began. "Must've been real important for him to just tare off like that." That was lame, and he knew it. They'd all noticed the change in the air, the atmosphere, especially since that day in the snow, when Raph had seen April and Casey through the window. He knew something would happen. He just hadn't expected this. 

************* 

"What… What did you say?" Don's voice was barely above a whisper. 

April refused to look up at him. "I… I know, Don." She said her voice breaking. "I know who they are." 

Don sunk to his bed, more from the fact that his legs couldn't hold him anymore, he noticed, than anything else. 

It was silent for a few minutes that seemed like hours, and Don could hear his breath as he sat there. He was practically hyperventilating, he realized, and tried to slow his breaths. 

"Who is it." He heard himself ask, and the voice was strange, different. 

April looked down once more. 

"Almost two years ago…" She began. "Was when Casey and I really began having problems. And after I ended it, he moved out… and on." 

Donatello's face blanched. He didn't want to hear this… He didn't want to hear this. 

But he needed to. 

"After he left, I didn't hear from him for… a while. Then he called me again. He'd gotten himself into a bit of trouble." She smiled slightly at that, and Don frowned. 

"He'd met this girl, and…" She cut off, and Don sat forward. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "You know how he's so impulsive… he wasn't thinking…" She shook her head. 

"What are you saying?" Don asked, getting uncharacteristically annoyed at how long it was taking to get to the truth. 

April shut her mouth quickly. She looked down once again, and then up again, looking at Don. 

"Liv was Lindy's mom." She confirmed. "And Casey is her father." 

************* 

"What're they doing upstairs…?" Mike wondered, making Raph almost choke on his coffee. Leo threw him a look, which seemed to work, much to both of their surprise. 

"I dunno." Raph said, looking down at his plate, moving the food around with his fork. "But April was actin' real weird every time I saw her… Has been for awhile now." 

Leo nodded. "Something has been in the air." He looked towards the door of the kitchen, worry etched on his face. 

************* 

"No." Don whispered. It was all he could think to say. The news hit him like a shockwave, sending him reeling. Casey? _Casey?! _The same guy who showed less patience than Raph and just ran off whenever he pleased? 

But none of those things came to the surface. 

"Donnie?" April began softly. "Are you alright?" 

He looked at her quickly. "Why? Why are you telling me this _now_??" He cried, despairingly. 

"I thought you might want to…" 

"To know? Of _course _I wanted to know! I wanted to know from the beginning." He went on, unaware that his voice was rising, against his will. 

"Would it have made a difference?" She shot back. "If you knew it was his? Would you love her any less?!" 

He stood up, glaring at her. He'd never felt so angry before than in that moment. "How _dare _you ask me that?" He growled lowly. 

She took a step back, and he instantly felt bad. He wasn't all that angry at her; maybe even less angry than he'd have liked to be. But he needed to be mad at something, at someone, and she'd just pushed the wrong buttons. 

************* 

Downstairs, Mike went to leave the kitchen, after the dishes were done and the table cleaned. He opened the door, then stopped. Voices were carrying from the upstairs, and they sounded unhappy. He swiftly turned back and shut the door, causing Raph to run into him. 

"What are you doing?" Raph exclaimed, moving to push past Mikey. But Mike put a hand up, signaling Raph to stop. 

Raph opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, as he, too, noticed the voices. 

"What _is _going on up there…?" Raph wondered aloud, and both Mikey and Leo gave identical shrugs. 

************* 

"How could you keep something like that from me?" Don said, trying to wrap his brain around this. 

"Do you know how much it's been killing me?" April cried. "Not telling you? Keeping it in?" 

"Why did you?" Don asked, trying to calm himself. Of all the things he expected to hear… out of all the possibilities. This just had not been one of them. 

"I…" April began, then stopped. "I didn't know how you'd react, I guess." She said softly. 

He instantly felt bad. He knew how unlike him it was to act like this… But… this was something so big… And he trusted her so much… It killed him that she'd been able to hide it this long. He felt… betrayed… 

He thought briefly that he was acting a bit like Raph. _And Casey… _A little voice in his head reminded him. He stopped, putting a hand to his mouth, calming himself down. 

It was silent for a few minutes, until April finally spoke up. "I'm sorry, Donnie. I really am… Are you… angry with me?" 

He sighed, looking down. "I honestly don't know what I think right now." He said quietly. He heard a sniff escape her, and felt his heart break. But he honestly had to think this over a little before he really knew what to say. 

"I need to think this over." He said slowly, calmly, and kept his eyes on the bedspread. 

"I… I'm sorry." April choked out, then covered her mouth with her hand and ran from the room. 

************* 

"Look," Raph began, standing in front of Leo. "They don't come down soon, I'm…" He stopped as a door to the house opened, and then slammed shut again. 

The three of them turned, and saw April heading away from the house, a hand over her face. 

With a glance to the other two, Raph took off after her. 

Leo looked at Mike and they bore almost identical frowns. Something big had happened. 

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Author's Note - *sigh* To be completely honest… I hadn't planned on this chapter coming up until the sequel to this story. But I got a pounding on the door of my imagination and it was the characters, telling me: We're doing this chapter now! Hehe, so here it is! Not all of the story, of course, but I can't do that all in one chapter!! ;) 

Anyway, I hope this was handled well enough… I had a lot of doubt about Don's reaction. I hope it was satisfactory. I actually liked the way it turned out. Also, the revelation of Casey as Lindy's father was as much a surprise to me as it was to Don. I had debated for a long time who the parents really were, and, one day, it just popped into my head: This is who it should be. I hope you're enjoying, still. Another thing, I'm going to be wrapping up this story in the next few chapters… But not to worry! I'm already writing the sequel (which is so far unnamed) that I am really looking forward to, and it will be up shortly. I just wanted to give everyone a bit of an early heads up. But we still have a few chapters left. So enjoy! 

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Thanks - 

neosun7 - Thank. Hehe, yeah it seems that way, doesn't it? He's a growing turtle! 

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Lady Venom2 - Thanks! 

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LenniluvsBrian - Thanks! Hehe, I could see it, too. 

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Heather - Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! 

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Gummadoon Fanatic - Thanks! Here it is… ;) 

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Mickis - Thanks! 

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Next chapter - Reactions… 


	36. Chapter 34 Putting the Pieces Together

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Chapter 34 - Putting the Pieces Together… 

As Raph ran off after April, Leo and Mike shared a look. Soon, they heard someone on the steps, and Leo opened the door of the kitchen to see Don coming down the stairs. 

Don said nothing, but went straight for the door. 

"Where are you going?" Leo demanded, hurrying in the room. "What happened?" 

Don stopped, looking back over at his brother. "I'm going for a walk." He said, then turned back to the door. But Leo was faster, putting a hand on Don's shoulder. 

"_April _went for a walk." He said. "You're telling me what happened." 

Don threw his brother a look that bordered on annoyed and hurt. 

Leo blinked. He'd never received that look from his brother before. _At least, not **this **brother… _He thought to himself wryly. 

"C'mon, Donnie." He said softly. "What's going on?" 

"What's 'going on' is that…" Don cut off, moving away from Leo and sitting on the couch. Mike walked behind the couch, and Leo sat beside Don. 

"Don?" Mike asked softly. Leo looked up at him. 

Don sighed. "Casey… Casey is Lindy's father." He said softly. 

Leo started. Don had said that so quietly that he wasn't sure that he'd heard him right. "What?" 

"Casey." Don repeated. "You know him, right?" The sarcastic tone faded as quickly as it came, and Don looked down again. 

Leo and Mike shared another look. "Whoa." Mike breathed. 

"Are we sure, Donnie?" Leo asked. 

Don nodded slowly. "Well, I can't be a hundred percent sure, without a paternity test." He chuckled lightly, but it, too, faded, and he looked down again. 

Leo sat back in the couch, raising a hand to his mouth. He hadn't expected this… He had no idea how to _respond _to this. 

"Why's April upset?" Mikey asked, and Don stiffened involuntarily. "It's not…" Mikey continued, then turned wide eyes to Leo. 

Leo, in turn, looked over at Don. 

"It's not April's." Don said dryly. "It's Liv's…" His face fell a bit at that remark, then he looked back up at them. "But Casey is the father." 

"Our Casey…?" Mike repeated, looking over at Don. 

"Yes, Mikey. _Our _Casey." Don said, almost sarcastically. 

Leo sighed. "Alright…" He said, and Don and Mike looked over at him. 

"Mikey, it's Casey's… and Don…" He looked over at his brother and felt a swell of emotions run through him. His brother looked so… lost for a moment. Of all of them, Don was the one that was most focused, the most down to earth all the time. Leo could admit that. But now… now he looked totally… lost. 

"Don, are you ok?" Leo breathed. 

"No, I'm not, Leo." Don burst out finally, and Leo started a bit. He hadn't expected that outburst. But he didn't expect to find out Casey was the father of his niece, either. 

"I just…" Don began again. "I _knew _she had a father out there… a biological one." Don began softly. "But… I just got so lost in the notion that… that I wouldn't find out who it was, that to hear the guy's name aloud…" His face crumpled, and he bit his lip, looking to the ground. "I'd built up a nice little lie to myself that it was _me_…" 

Leo moved closer to his brother, frowning. He put an arm on his shoulder. "Don," He began softly. "You… you know that _you're _her father, right? She's your daughter, and my niece and…" He stopped, looking away. A sudden thought choked him. What if Casey wanted her back? He knew how much Casey and Don didn't get along, and this was just one more reason for tensions. 

And then it was like Don had suddenly read his mind. "Casey left." Don said suddenly, then sat straight up like a shot, and got off the couch. "You don't think he took her with him…?" He said as he ran towards the stairs. Mike threw a quick look at Leo, who, to his surprise, had a look of worry and… he looked scared, Mike realized. 

************* 

"Jesus." Raph breathed, as he took in what April had just told him, in between sobs. He stood uncomfortably for a minute. Casey… his buddy Casey, was his niece's father. Well, biologically, at least. 

"Why now?" He asked quietly, watching April gain some control over herself. He was torn between wanting to comfort her, and being angry that she'd hurt his brother. Because he _knew _Donnie was hurt… 

"I just wanted him to know." She said, her voice shuddering. 

"And why are you so upset?" He asked, aware that it sounded brash. 

She looked down, licking her lips. "Because he still doesn't know the whole story." She said softly. 

Raph blinked. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead. "Are you ever going to tell him?" He asked after a minute. 

"I want to!" She said. "I want to tell him a lot, but…" She looked back away. "He's angry at me now…" 

"Don'll… he'll get better with it. This is a big surprise and you haveta let him deal with it for a bit. You_ know _he won't stay mad at you forever. Donnie's not like that." 

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for you guys, too." She said, moving over to stand next to him. 

They stood for awhile longer, the silence between them heavy, until suddenly April spoke again. 

"I will tell him." She said and Raph looked over at her. "I'll tell him everything." She promised, and he nodded. 

"Good." He said. "Soon?" 

She nodded back. "Soon." 

************* 

Leo vaulted over the couch after Don, Mikey close behind him, taking the steps two at a time. Once he reached the top, he ran to Lindy's room. He stopped short at the door. 

Don was knelt next to the crib, hands up by his mouth. 

Leo moved slowly into the room, and Mikey followed. Mike looked at his brother. His hands were shaking, and he feared what was in the crib. Or what wasn't. 

Leo made his way across the room, apprehensive about looking into the crib. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he reached the crib and looked down. His hands gripped the railing. 

Lindy was sleeping peacefully, her thumb stuck in her mouth. 

Leo let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and looked over at Mikey. He smiled widely, and Mike did the same. 

Leo moved over next to Don and sank down next to him. Don put his head in his hands, and let out a shaky breath. "I… I'd thought…" 

"Me too." Leo smiled shakily and noticed the streaks running down his brother's face. He laughed gruffly and wrapped his arms around his brother. Leo looked over at Mikey, who had walked to the crib, and also had streaks of tears running down his face. 

Leo grinned again. He hadn't realized how bad it would be to lose her… How scared he'd been that they _had… _

************* 

"Y'ready to go back in?" Raph asked. He'd began getting cold as the sun went down. 

"I… I don't know." Aprils said nervously. She wrung her hands, and Raph wasn't sure if it was the cold, or the anxiety. 

"Yer freezin'." Raph stated simply. She looked over at him. 

"C'mon." Raph said, holding out a hand for her to take. She took it slowly, and they made their way back to the house. 

April knew there were more questions to be answered. Maybe even more than she _could _answer. She felt tears fill her eyes again. He was the last person in the world that she wanted to hurt. And her heart broke, at the sudden realization of the unfairness of it all. 

She'd failed, she realized suddenly, and that thought was almost more than she could take. She'd failed them and Lindy and… and herself. She sniffed away these thoughts as they came upon the house. 

"You ready?" Raph asked. 

She nodded, and straightened her shoulders. Head held high, she followed Raph into the house. 

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Author's Notes - Well, I'm sorry about the delay with this chapter. The computer I had all my work saved on caught a virus, and I just finally got rid of it! Yay! And a big thanks for all your support with Don's reaction in the last chapter. I'm glad you all enjoyed it. : ) 

Oh, and I'm now also glad that I didn't go with my first thought, and end the last chapter on April saying "I know who Lindy's parents are"… I'm not dumb… I didn't want any death threats. ;) Hehe, and I'm glad that Lindy's parentage went over so well! 

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Thanks - 

Reinbeauchaser - Thanks! We'll find out exactly how long April knew, and who it was that left Lindy for Don to find soon. 

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Lady Venom2 - Whoa… never thought of Shadow! To be honest, I _just _started reading the Mirage comics, so any similarities are unintentional! Trust me… this isn't gonna be much like that at all… ;) 

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Ramica - Thanks! Yep, this definitely shook some things up. 

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neosun7 - Thanks! 

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Heather - Thanks. Oh yeah, this'll definitely make for some more, um, interesting situations. And like I said, sorry for the delay on this one. ;) 

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LenniluvsBrian - Hehe… I was hoping to surprise a bit with this chapter… 

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PrincessOfWildfire - Thanks, I try to make it not _totally _predictable… kind of like life, itself. 

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Vegeta-Hiei Lover - Heh… another surprised reader… I don't mind telling you, that I kinda liked surprising y'all a bit. 

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StarofFoam - Wow, thanks! So glad you're enjoying this! 

Mickis - Wow, thanks! To answer your question, yes, he does know. Now he does, at least. And thanks again, I'm glad that Don's reaction went over well. 

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Next Chapter - Coming Soon!! 


	37. Chapter 35 Out In The Open

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Chapter 35 - Out In The Open

Leo stretched his arms above his head, trying to rid his muscles of the tension in them. He must've slept wrong.

He went down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen. He stopped by the doorway. Nothing. Not a sound coming from the room. He frowned. That was not normal… but it had been happening too often this past week for his own liking.

Shaking his head and sighing, he walked into the kitchen.

Mikey looked up from his plate. "Morning, Leo." He smiled, but it was strained.

Don didn't look up from his paper, but nodded his hello. Leo raised an eye ridge at Mike. Mike shrugged almost imperceptibly. Leo knew that Mikey and Don had been talking these past few days. He only hoped that it would help the situation a bit.

Leo had just sat down with a plate of food when a noise came from upstairs. Don's head snapped up from the paper. Footsteps from upstairs moved across the ceiling and towards the stairs.

Don swiftly folded the paper, so fast the Leo hardly even saw him do it, and stood.

"I'm gonna take a jog." Don said, and Mike nodded.

"See you." Leo said as Don left out the kitchen door.

A minute later, April came through the door. Leo noticed her eyes scan over the room quickly before her shoulders slumped slightly.

"Morning guys." She said, without much enthusiasm, and set about getting a plate of food ready.

Mike threw Leo a look, and Leo nodded. He sighed inwardly. It had been like this for a week now. Half the people in the house were ignoring each other, and the rest were just trying to stay out of their way.

Breakfast continued in silence, Mikey not even trying to get another conversation going.

Leo stabbed at his bacon a little too hard, and a piece went flying off the plate. He sighed heavily. Things had to change. And soon.

* * *

Donatello walked through the forest, a million thoughts running through his head. How he could feel this way and why… why did he let himself be this upset. He hadn't slept well for over a week now, and the exhaustion wasn't helping his thought process any. He continued walking, unaware of where he was heading, until an opening in the trees before him stopped him in his tracks.

Before him was the small area where they had buried Splinter. He'd unconsciously found his way back here, back to his father.

He walked forward slowly until he reached the small stone marker that they'd placed for Splinter. Then he knelt, and felt his chin quiver slightly. Growing up, he thought he knew so much… Yet he knew he could always learn from his father. How much he wanted to be able to ask him what to do now…

"I just don't know…" He whispered, crossing his arms. "I just wish you could tell me… teach me… one more thing."

He looked at the stone a moment, not really waiting for an answer, but a little disappointed when one never came.

He scooted over to a tree near the marker and leaned against it, hardly feeling as a few tears ran down his face. He stared at the marker, as if willing it to give him some sort of idea. Slowly, but surely, he felt his eyes getting heavier… He blinked a few times, as all of those sleepless nights began catching up to him suddenly.

He shifted in place. He'd have to leave soon. It was freezing already, and he knew he shouldn't be in the cold any longer than he could stand it. It was stupid of him to take off like that with no protective clothing on, and he knew it. But he'd heard movement upstairs and had been afraid that April… He shook his head of the thought. He had to leave in a few minutes, or he'd surely freeze.

* * *

Leo grimaced as another branch hit him in the face. He plowed forward, and wrapped his arms around himself. It was _cold _now. The weatherman was calling for snow that afternoon, by the morning, definitely. But he wouldn't go back, not until he'd found his brother.

Mike had voiced a concern almost an hour ago, when they realized that Don still hadn't come home. Leo had agreed to go looking for him, and Mike agreed that he and Raph would stay at home with the girls. Leo smiled slightly. He could still see April's expression when they'd said that. She had been less than happy.

Suddenly, Leo froze. Standing stock still, he listened intently for the sound that had grabbed his attention a second ago.

He began walking in the direction of the sound, when he suddenly realized where he was. He walked cautiously into the opening in the trees. Looking around, he made out the form of his brother, lying on the ground.

* * *

A slight shaking sensation slowly made it's way into Donatello's consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly, and was immediately met with the sight of another pair of eyes looking at him.

Leo sighed heavily when Don opened his eyes. "Thank God…" He said, putting his hand out to help Don up. "What were you doing, are you alright?" He asked quickly, the concern overflowing into his voice.

"I'm… fine." Don said. "I just… got so tired suddenly, that I…"

Leo nodded. He knew the feeling of insomnia.

"It _is _comforting here, though, isn't it." He said softly.

Don nodded. "I didn't mean to worry you, Leo." He said.

Leo grinned, and slung an arm over his brother's shoulders. "It's my job." He said lightly, trying to put as little guilt on Don as possible. "Come on," Leo continued. "Let's get back home. You're freezing."

Don nodded, and they began walking back towards the house.

They walked in near silence, as Leo debated whether or not to question what had been going on. He didn't want to push Don too far, too fast. Didn't want to push him away.

Leo sighed, and they continued their walk in silence.

* * *

April sat, tapping her fingers against the table in nervousness and annoyance. Where _were_ they? She wondered.

Then the door to the kitchen opened, and in walked Leonardo and Donatello, both of whom stopped in their tracks upon seeing her waiting for them.

"Um… I'm just gonna… go in the other room for a bit." Leo said, then slipped out of the room as quickly as he could.

April stared down at her hands until he'd left the room. Then silence reigned the room for a few moments before anyone spoke.

"If you go out the door." April began slowly. "I _will not _follow you."

Don turned a surprised look towards her.

"I won't chase after you anymore." April said, looking up at him finally. "I'm just not up to chasing after anyone anymore." She said quietly. "And don't think I haven't noticed you running away." She turned away then.

Don blinked, surprised at this outburst. "I… I haven't been…"

"Stop with the excuses, okay?" April burst out. "Don't you see? You're acting just like _him_. And that was one of the things that I loved about you…" She trailed off, her eyes filling with tears. "That you _weren't_…"

Don stared at her as a few tears found their way down her cheek, then he looked away, unable to take the hurt in her eyes.

Quietly, he moved, sitting in the chair next to her. He grabbed her hand in both of his.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said softly. "I'm not running away."

She looked up at him. "I don't meet just physically, Donnie."

Don blinked, sitting back a bit.

"I'm sorry, Donnie. I really am." She said, reaching over to place her other hand on his arm. But you have to realize that maybe I had a reason for it. I'm sorry if my withholding details caused all this…"

"Details??" Don hissed quietly. "These aren't _details_… This is my daughter's life!"

"I know." April said softly. "But please, Don… you have to know… I just can't _tell _you yet."

"But why?" Don asked despairingly.

"Because it might push you away forever." April whispered, tears filling her eyes again.

"It won't." Don said quietly. "I promise it won't."

April shook her head softly. "Don't promise me unless you know for sure." She looked down again. "Please, just… wait." She pleaded, looking back up at him.

There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke again.

"You know that the wondering will be worse than what you can actually say." Don finally stated.

April looked up at him, and a few tears fell down her cheeks as she nodded.

"All right." She said. "I'll tell you …"

* * *

Leo walked into the living room, where Michaelangelo was playing with Lindy.

"Hey," Mikey began. "Anything wrong?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't think so." He said slowly. "Don and April are talking in the kitchen." He added, and Mikey nodded. "I'll steer clear, then." He said.

"Good idea." Leo nodded again, then looked down at Lindy, who was yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I think it's time for little girls to have a nap." He stated, leaning down to Lindy's up-stretched arms. He began walking toward the stairs, then turned back. "Mikey?"

"Yeah?"

"If, uh, anything happens," He began. "Call me, okay?"

Mike nodded solemnly. "Yeah, Leo. I will."

Leo nodded back, and then walked up the stairs.

* * *

April sighed. "Donnie, you know how Casey reacts when things go bad…"

"Not well." He said.

She nodded. "When we broke up," She began slowly. "He… didn't take it well. And he decided to deal with it the way he knew. He met a girl, and…" She looked up at Don.

"Liv." He said simply.

April nodded. "Yeah. From what I know, it was only a one night stand. But it was enough…" She cut off, looking down. "When he found out she was pregnant, he called me for help." She laughed shortly. "Do you know how much that hurt?" She asked softly. "When I thought I was…" She put a hand to her face, trying to reign in her feelings.

"Anyway," She began after another moment. "When mention of a 'boyfriend' came up, Casey freaked. That's where I came in." April looked up at Don. "Liv wanted to keep her baby, but said her boyfriend wouldn't have it. He wasn't to know. He was leaving for a 'business trip' in a couple months, and she could hide it from him before then." She stopped, looking down. "She was scared of him, Don. She said that he'd kill her if he knew, and I thought that was an exaggeration… but now I'm not so sure."

Don sucked in a breath. "Go on." He breathed out.

April sighed. "So, months later, Liv has the baby. Early, I might add, and at home. She called me when it happened; I was to take the baby to the police, and have her given to an adoption agency. But Liv had changed her mind." April looked at Don. "She knew where she wanted her baby to go. To someone she'd met, and who she thought was a good person, someone she trusted. Someone who she thought needed the love. You."

Don blushed then, looking down. He didn't know that so much emotion could be read or given off over simple, electronic emails. _He _didn't even know he wanted it, how was it that some stranger he'd never really met had known that he did?

"Well," April continued. "She told me all about this person, and I happened to recognize the email… So I agreed. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Don sat there in silence for a few moments, and then looked back up at April. "Tell me," He said softly. "Tell me about her."

April grinned slightly. "I didn't know her as well as I could have, given the situation… But she was beautiful." April said softly. "Lindy looks just like her. And she was nice, and funny…"

"Just like she seemed online." Don muttered.

"Yeah." April said, somewhat uncomfortably. "And, for the record, her name was Livia."

"Livia." Don repeated, then looked back at April. "Did she ever get to… want to see her again?"

April nodded. "Yes… I showed her a few pictures I took of Lindy. She was delighted to see her looking so well. And she loved the name."

Don grinned at that.

"She loved her baby, Don." April said.

Don looked down again. "So, Casey…"

"He took off right after I got involved. It looked much less suspicious for her to have a friend who was a girl. That's why he didn't know about… about Lindy." She looked down again. "Don, I think you should know, Liv's boyfriend wasn't the… best sorta person. He… had a lot of flaws. A lot of problems. Now, she never said anything, but I get the impression that he was up to no good a lot of the time."

It was silent for a long moment.

"Don?" April asked finally.

He looked up at her. Tears swam in his eyes. "There's so much…" He got out.

She moved her chair closer to his, and laid a hand on his arm.

"Are you okay?"

He sat back a bit. "That's… a lot of information to process." He wiped his face.

She frowned. "I'm sorry, Donnie."

He smiled slightly. "Thank you for telling me, April."

"Even if it changed things?" She asked.

"Even if." He nodded. Then he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.

* * *

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To Be Continued….

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Author's Notes - I have learned a few important things while dealing with this chapter. First of all, Writer's Block is horrible. Second of all, do NOT argue with the characters! If they wanna say something, for goodness sake, let them say it!! LOL But I do apologize deeply for the long delay.

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Thanks -

Reinbeauchaser - grins Thanks! Like I said, sorry for the delay.

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Brinatello - Thanks! Yeah… April and Don still have a bit to work through yet… But they just made a big step here…

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Vegeta-Hiei Lover - Here's more for ya! ;)

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Mickis - Thanks so much.

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Lexy8 - Thank you. smiles

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Heather - I'm sorry!! Less delays from now on, I promise!

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LenniluvsBrian- Well, as you can see, April was involved… to an extent.

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StarofFoam - Looks like things are gonna be okay for them… for a bit, at least. ;)

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neosun7 - Wow! I… thanks so much. I'm touched that you feel that way about my story! : )

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Lady Venom2 - Thanks. I agree, it was choppy at parts… But I'm glad you liked it! : )

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Gummadoon Fanatic - Thanks! It's getting there, with those two… ;)

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Lashana - Glad to see you again! Thanks so much.

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VestqueX - Thank you! : )

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Bluegirl - Thanks so much.

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Next chapter - Coming Soon!!


	38. Chapter 36 Adventures In Decorating

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Chapter 36 - Adventures In Decorating…

Michaelangelo awoke, and stretched. He turned to look at the clock. He knew that no one else would be awake at this time, so he quietly snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Soon, the morning smells of coffee and frying bacon filled his senses, and he knew the others weren't far behind him in waking now.

He grabbed a glass of milk (he wasn't the biggest coffee nut in the world, much as it seemed otherwise) and sat down at the table, savoring the minutes before the kitchen exploded with activity. He loved his family dearly, and with everything he had, but he still loved these moments, of quiet, of comfort.

Soon, he heard the first rustlings of sound, and knew that his quiet time was over.

He grinned as the door to the kitchen opened, and Donatello came through, rubbing his shoulder.

"Morning." Mike said, grinning slightly.

"Mornin'." Don said back, and smiled. At his side, Lindy hung onto his hand, toddling her way into the kitchen, a finger in her mouth.

"Morning, gorgeous." Mike greeted her, bending down to pick her up when she walked to him.

"You better be talkin' to her." Raph grumbled as he entered the kitchen right after them.

Don smiled as he sat down with his coffee. Mike was happy to see that. After April and Don had that talk over a week ago, things had almost gone back to normal, though they were still inherently different. But it was good now. It was better.

Raph quickly removed Lindy from Mike's grasp, kissing her firmly on the forehead as he placed her in her highchair.

"Food?" Mike asked, starting to rise from his seat.

Don waved his hand dismissively. Raph nodded.

"Legs broken, Raph?"

They all looked over as Leo and April both entered the room. April grinned quickly at all of them, and put her hand on Lindy's head as she passed her, and sat down at her place next to Mike and Don.

Raph grunted slightly. "Hey, _he _offered…"

Leo sighed slightly as he sat. For a moment, it all seemed… So normal.

Talk faded into the normal noises at the table, as they all dug into their food.

"What's New York want?" Raph asked after a moment, looking over at April, who looked back at him with a bewildered look on her face.

"New… York?" She asked, furrowing her brows.

Raph looked at Mikey and sighed. Mike looked back at Raph for a moment, before jumping as if he were kicked, and looking at April.

"Oh, April… Sorry, yeah. You had a call from someone in the city; I wrote down the number." He looked at her sheepishly.

"Mikey." She breathed. "When?"

"Uh… about a day, or so, ago."

She sighed, standing up. "Where's the number?"

"On the stand, by the phone." Mikey looked almost pained. "I'm sorry, April, I just…"

She waved him off. "Don't worry about it, Mikey. I'm sure it's nothing."

Don watched her leave the room, a concerned look on his face.

"Don?" Leo asked, noticing the look.

"Yeah?"

"Something up, you think?" Leo asked, and his brother shook his head.

"Not that I know of." Don answered slowly.

"If there is…" Leo began, knowing that Don would find out before the rest of them, no doubt.

Don nodded. "Yeah. I'll let you know."

Leo nodded back.

* * *

"Uh huh…" April nodded as she spoke. "Thank you. Yes, I will. Thank you. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and leaned against the wall. A sigh escaped her as she slid down into a sitting position.

She'd been waiting for that phone call… Hoping that it would come soon, especially given the last few weeks situation.

Now? She wasn't so sure she wanted it as much as she thought.

* * *

Raphael breathed the cold air in deeply. It burned his lungs, but it also felt so good. He shifted the ax in his hand as he walked. He'd volunteered, after numerous promptings from April, to go out and look for a Christmas tree.

He grinned, remembering the day before, and April's many attempts at having a 'perfect family Christmas'.

"What do you **mean **you're not getting a tree??" April cried, her hands on her hips, as only she could do.

"Well," Leo began slowly. "We've never had one before…"

"But Lindy's older now! Think how excited she'll be!"

Mike nodded, a smile on his face. "C'mon… we've never **really **done the 'whole' Christmas thing, you know…" He began, his eyes brightening. "The fire, the chestnuts…"

"The stockings, and carols." April added.

"I am NOT caroling." Raphael said, crossing his arms.

"I highly doubt that we'll be going door to door, Raph." Don snickered.

"At least a tree…" April said.

"Tee??" Lindy repeated, looking confused.

"See? She wants one!" April said, leaning down next to the child, and putting her hands on Lindy's shoulders.

Raphael sighed. "If I don't gotta sing," He started. "I'll go get the tree."

So, here he was, walking around the forest, trying to find THE tree. He snorted softly to himself at the thought. He knew nothing about _anything _about finding a Christmas tree…

But… April was right. This was Christmas, and they had a house, and a fireplace… and this was as 'normal' as it was all gonna get. At least, that's what Raph thought.

He sighed heavily. There were so many trees to choose from! He trudged through more snow. He wrinkled his nose. _Too short, too tall, too narrow… _He went through the list in his head. This was _Lindy's _tree… It had to be… perfect. It might be the only one she ever gets.

He stopped walking suddenly, and looked in front of him. A grin broke out on his face.

* * *

A loud crash broke April out of her stupor, and she looked in the direction of the noise.

Leo looked over at her sheepishly. "Dropped the boxes." He said, and April looked down at his feet. Assorted ribbons and bulbs for a tree were laying on the ground.

She grinned, then stood up, and made her way over to him. She kneeled down, and began to pick up the pieces of an unlucky, shattered decoration.

"I can get them…" He began, but she stopped him.

"I'm already almost done." She said, and he quieted down. He remained standing behind her, however, unmoving. She could hear his breathing, and knew that he was undecided on whether to say something or not.

She sat back on her heels and sighed. "What is it, Leo?"

He looked at her, almost startled.

She chuckled lightly. "C'mon, Leo. I've known you guys long enough to know when you're stalling."

He grinned lightly at that. "Well," He began. "I just… wanted to make sure you were okay, is all." He said, his voice growing softer at the end.

She smiled at that. "I'm… fine, Leo."

"The call from New York? Everything's… okay?"

Her grin grew tighter with that. "Fine." She answered.

He grinned lopsidedly. He obviously didn't believe her. "Okay, April." He said, and almost dejected tone to his voice.

She sighed unhappily, and looked down at her hand. She wrinkled her nose as she noticed the small stream of blood running from her hand.

Leo followed her gaze, his eyes widening. "You're cut?"

"Yeah, but it's not too bad." April moved to stand.

"What's up?" Don said, as he came into the hallway, carrying Lindy.

"April cut her hand." Leo nodded towards April.

"Let me see." Don said, setting Lindy down next to Leo, who put down his box and grabbed her hand, so she wouldn't venture over to them in case there was more glass on the ground.

"I'm fine…" April began, her voice trailing off as he grabbed her hand gently.

"Let go of the glass." He said softly, breaking her out of her thoughts. He held a trashcan under her hand. She hadn't even noticed he'd moved to grab it.

After she's thrown the glass away, he took her hand and brought it up closer to his face, in order to inspect it better.

"We need to get this cleaned out." Don said. "But it doesn't look too bad." He looked over at Leo. "Leo…"

"Don't worry." Leo began. "Lindy and I are gonna go decorate."

"Oh, don't do _too _much." April said, as Don led her to the bathroom. "I want pictures…"

* * *

Raph grunted as he dragged the tree behind him. This thing was _heavy. _He should've brought someone else with him.

He smiled slightly. But he HAD managed to find the thing, and cut it down. He didn't do so bad, if he said so himself.

He neared the house, and slowed his steps. As he came up to the door, he stopped, dropping his end of the tree.

He hadn't thought of _measuring _the tree.

Shrugging, he grabbed the tree again and made his way to the door.

* * *

Mikey shivered as he walked through the hallway. It was awfully _cold _in there all of a sudden. Then, suddenly, a banging noise began. He ran to the source of the noise, and was met by Leonardo, Lindy in tow, who was looking at the doorway, a mixture of fascination and disbelief on his face.

Raphael was outside, trying to shove a _tree _into their house.

Michaelangelo watched for a few moments, as the string of muttered curses reached his ears. He smiled faintly.

"You just gonna stand there and watch, or _what_?!" Raph spit out, making Mikey jump. He hadn't realized he'd been staring.

He walked towards the tree slowly, taking in the size of it. "You sure that's gonna fit, Raph?" He asked. His question was met by a growl from the other side of the door.

"Just grab the tree and pull, huh?" Raph snarled.

* * *

"So, what happened?" Don asked nonchalantly, as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet.

"Leo dropped a bulb." April answered, knowing that he probably didn't mean about the glass.

Don smiled grimly at the answer, but said nothing. April watched as he pulled things out of the cabinet, setting them down on the sink.

He moved back over towards her. "Hand." He said simply, and she obliged, giving him her hand.

"You know," She began. "I can do this by myself. it's not like I've never cut myself before…"

"Shh." He said quietly, and, surprised, she did so. He examined her hand for another moment, then grabbed something from the sink.

"Still a piece of glass in there." He said simply, and she nodded. He silently went to work trying to get it out, and she watched, transfixed, for a few moments, before a loud crashing sound made them both jump.

"I wonder what's going on out there?" She wondered aloud, and he shook his head.

"Dunno." He said. "But look!" He said proudly, holding up the tweezers. "I got it."

She grinned. "Hey, you did that pretty well. I didn't even feel a thing."

He smiled back at her, then grabbed the washcloth. "We gotta get this cleaned out." He said.

He was just about to touch the cloth to her skin, when another crash, followed by loud banging, reverberated through the house.

"What _are _they doing out there?"

* * *

Leo sat on the couch, his chin on his hand, watching bemusedly as Mike and Raph tried to force a big tree through a not-so-big doorway.

"Mikey, move it to the _right_." Raph directed, sweat beginning to bead on his head at the effort. This tree would NOT beat him.

"It IS all the way to the right." Mikey complained, and Raph growled.

Leo leaned down to Lindy, who sat on his lap. "Those are your uncles." He said quietly to the child. "This is why you need to always listen to me and your daddy…"

Lindy watched, wide eyed, at the commotion around her.

"I can _hear _you out here, Leo." Raph complained. "You wanna comment, you can come HELP us, and comment then."

Leo sighed, standing up, and carrying Lindy to the playpen in the room. "Wish me luck." He whispered as he set her down, and walked over to the doorway.

"You know," He began. "It might be easier if you try to push it in the doorway going _with _the direction of the branches. Not against."

Raph grimaced. "Who asked you."

* * *

"I don't think I want to know…" Don said, and April nodded. The banging noises slowed, and then stopped, as they could hear muffled conversations.

Don chuckled lightly, shaking his head. He began applying an ointment to the cut.

April jumped at the sudden burning sensation. Don stopped what he was doing, looking at her. "Hurt?"

She nodded slowly. "Just burns a little. Startled me is all."

He nodded back, then leaned forward, and began blowing lightly on the cut. She shivered, but wasn't sure exactly what caused it.

He stopped, and leaned back a bit, looking at her. "Better?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

She bit her lip, nodding. He grinned then. "Good." He said, then reached back for a bandage. She watched as he gently applied it to her hand, and rubbed it gently, making sure it stuck.

It wasn't until he turned to put the things away that she moved from her spot.

"Don." She grabbed his hand. He turned, surprised.

"I have to leave." She burst out, fixing her eyes on the ground.

"What?" He asked, tightening his grip on her hand, and moving to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

"The phone call from New York?" She said, and he nodded. "I was offered a job in the city." She couldn't look at him. She just couldn't.

He shifted where he sat, and gently pulled at her arm until she was embraced against him, his arms around her.

"I have to take it, you know." She said, and could feel him nodding. "The pay's not great, but it's a start. And I'll have enough money right now to make a real go of it. I can rent an apartment with the money I have saved now, and then I'll have this job…" She trailed off.

"I… don't know what to say." He said quietly.

Tell me to stay…! Her thoughts screamed, but she only shook her head.

"You guys are welcome to stay here, and use the house… for as long as you need it."

He looked down, and nodded.

"I wanted you to be the first to know, Donnie…" She got out, before she could feel the tears begin streaming down her face.

"When?" He got out.

"They want me there before the new year." She said, and he put his face down on her shoulder. She suddenly became aware of new wetness on her skin, as their tears mingled together.

It was silent for a few moments, before he slowly pulled away.

"Okay." He said. "Okay…" He repeated, looking at her. "We'll manage. We always have."

"I'll send money…" She began, but he cut her off, shaking his head.

"No," He said. "We're not your problem."

"You are my family." She said, taking his face in her hands. "You are _never _a problem."

He nodded, but kept his eyes down.

"I…" She began, but stopped, as a loud crash sounded, followed by a yell from Raphael, and a whoop from Mikey.

* * *

Leo was trying very hard to gain back some form of composure. But it was very difficult, when a tree had just exploded into the living room, followed by two of your brothers, who were piled in the tree like some overgrown ornaments.

"Funny." Raph growled, trying to get up. "You think this is funny?"

"I think," Leo began, his hands on his knees. "That you shouldn't have tried to fit that tree in this doorway. The tree is too big."

"Big tee!!" Lindy repeated, clapping her hands joyfully.

Leo and Mikey chuckled, while Raph glowered.

"You know Leo." Raph began. "Next time you want a tree, you can just shove it up your…"

"Ah, tis the season, eh?" April interrupted from the doorway.

Mike went over to them, and grabbed April's hands. "Look! We got the tree in the house…" He said as he led her over to it.

April surveyed the mass of pine needles and bark on the floor. "I… see." She said, then looked up at them and smiled softly. "Thank you." She said.

Mike looked at her face. "You okay?" He asked. He could definitely sense a trace of red around her eyes and nose.

Leo looked over at Don, who merely looked down in response.

"Hey," Raph broke the silence. "What say we get this baby set up and decorated, huh? I'm starvin'!"

"Right." April agreed. "I'll make hot chocolate, you guys set up that tree!"

Leo watched as she left the room, throwing Don a sad glance before entering the kitchen. He looked over and saw Raph was doing the same thing. He turned to look at Leo, and they shared a look. Raph shook his head slightly.

Mikey jumped up, and made his way to the CD rack. "Anyone for Christmas songs?" He asked, turning up the player. The strains of 'White Christmas' began flowing through the room.

Leo stood back a bit, and watched as Mike and Raph (despite his complaining) began wrestling the tree into its stand.

Don came up to stand beside Leo, who glanced over at him, before looking back to the others.

"Everything okay?" Leo asked, not looking over at Don.

"It will be." Was his brother's simple answer.

Leo nodded, looking back to the action in front of him. He could take that answer, for now.

It will be.

* * *

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Author's Notes - Writer's Block and Real Life are a deadly combination on a writer. Heh, I apologize for this horrendous delay on my updates. And I thank everyone who waited for the update. Thank you.

It also occurs to me that I totally missed the one year anniversary of when I first published this fic!! I'm so happy and lucky that I have continued, and have been encouraged to continue this fic for so long.

I am guessing (averaging) that one or two more chapters, and this part of the guys and Lindy's life will come to a close. The sequel is just about ready to go, so there will be another story and adventure for them soon.

A special thanks goes out to **Reinbeauchaser**, who was so supportive, and aided me in getting rid of my Writer's Block. I thank you so very much for your support and help. Thank you.

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Thanks -

LenniluvsBrian - Thanks. Glad you liked it.

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Reinbeauchaser - Ah, Rene, you caught that, eh? ;) Yes, there is a discrepancy in SOMEONE'S story, isn't there? And yes, that DOES mean something… But I'm not saying what yet. Heh.

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VestqueX - Ah, heh, thanks! And I hope I was able to help with your question…

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Buslady Of SoCal - Here it is!! ;)

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Bluegirl - Thanks. It did eventually pass, and here's the result. I hope you all enjoy.

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Vegeta-Hiei Lover - Liv was involved with someone else when she and Casey had a relationship. How deep their relationship went, however, has yet to be revealed.

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Lady Venom2 - I agree. Don needed some reassurances in that area.

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neosun7 - Thanks!!

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Brinatello - Ah, thanks, Brina! But, you know I can't answer that question quite yet. ;) Thanks for all the support. You know I appreciate it.

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lestatlover - Thanks!

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The Sadistic Cow - Thank you so much. It has also been a pleasure to write.

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Heather - Thanks. Well, enjoy the vacation. Hope you enjoy it!

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Starofoam - Thanks! And yes, I doubly agree with that statement, lol. ;)

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Lioness Godddess - Thanks for the review!! Um, if I may ask… what is it you're doing now? Sounds cool. Anyway, here's the next chapter!!

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Next chapter - Coming Soon (I promise, this time… it really is gonna be soon. ;) )


	39. Chapter 37 Decisions

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Chapter 37 - Decisions

_"Love that we can not have is the one that lasts the longest, hurts the deepest and feels the strongest"_

* * *

"Oooooh…. The weather outside is frightful. But in_side _the fire's delightful…"

April laughed as Mike danced around the room, singing.

Raph grumbled, crossing his arms tighter.

"Oh, c'mon, Raph." April said. "It's not all that bad…"

Raph grunted. "Right. At least he's done with the '12 Days of Christmas'."

"Did I hear a request?" Mike peeked his head over the couch and looked at his rather surly looking brother.

"Let the song _go_, Mikey." Leo walked into the room, his arms full of mugs. He was grinning, He carefully set the mugs down on the table, and looked out at the room. A few boxes still littered the floor, leftover from Christmas morning. Other than that, they'd cleaned it up quite well.

Lindy still didn't quite 'get' what was going on… but Mike had been all too happy to help her tear into her gifts.

And… Leo mused. _Most of the gifts were for Lindy. _Which was the point, really. And she had enjoyed it immensely, as did they all.

It had been a nice little break, from the tension and sadness that lay behind it all.

"We're back." Don said as he came back into the room, holding a freshly changed Lindy.

"Just in time." Leo said, motioning to the hot chocolate he'd brought in.

A few minutes silence fell over the room as they began drinking the hot chocolate, and relaxing.

"So," April began, breaking the silence. "We're still all set for tonight, right?"

"It's so awesome that you could stay for New Years, April." Mike nodded.

April laughed. "Yeah, I'm kinda glad they decided to have a few internal computer problems. I so wanted to stay for the holidays." She glanced quickly over at Don, then looked back down.

"Well, problems or not, we're happy you could stay." Leo added, wanting to stay away from any more silent pauses.

"So am I." April said. "I'll be busy once I get back to city, and I'm not sure…" She cut off, biting her lip.

Leo reached over, and placed a hand on her own. "We understand." He said simply.

She nodded, but continued to stare into her mug.

"Hey." Mike broke in. "We're gonna make this _such _a party… Rule number one: no long faces." He winked at her.

She gave a small smile back.

Raph sighed then. "I'm going for a walk." He said, then got up and left the room.

"He's fine." Leo said, as Mike began getting up to go after him. "Just… let him go."

Mike nodded, not saying anything, much to his brother's surprise.

Leo sighed. If things were this awkward NOW, he dreaded to think how the next few days were gonna go…

* * *

April glanced at the clock, for what must have been the thousandth time. 10:55. No night had ever seemed so long, yet gone so fast. She dreaded the midnight hour, as it meant… She had to leave the next day to get her apartment ready.

Looking around the room, she had to smile. It wasn't a wild party, it was hardly a party at all. It was just them, sitting there, talking, playing games, watching TV… She wouldn't trade it for the world.

"I think I hear Lindy." Mike said suddenly, looking over from the couch.

Don and Leo both moved, but Don waved Leo back. "I'll go."

Leo nodded, and sat back. He stole a glance at Raphael. He sat on the couch with Mikey, but was silent, his arms crossed. He'd been in a funk since Christmas, and Leo could only attribute it to April's upcoming departure. It actually sort of surprised Leo, that his brother would be so upset this time around.

April stood then. "I'm gonna…" She began, then stopped. "I'll be right back." She said, then left the room.

"Okay." Mike nodded, then went back to his movie. Leo nodded also, but Raphael merely looked at her, then back to the TV.

* * *

April walked down the hallway, wringing her hands. She really didn't want to do this, but she had to. It was the thing she dreaded the most, above all else, about leaving.

She passed Lindy's room, and was surprised to find it empty. Her heart sank, and she turned to go back to the others, when suddenly, Don was behind her.

She gasped in surprise.

"Sorry." He said quietly. "Were you looking for… something?"

"Yes." She said, just as quiet. "You." She took his hands in hers, and led him to her room. She took him to the bed, and sat, motioning for him to do the same.

"I was really, not looking forward to this." She said quietly, looking over at him.

"Neither was I." Don admitted, glancing at her for a moment before looking down at the ground.

After a moment of quietness, she looked back at him. "Donnie…" She began, and he looked up at her. The look on his face broke her heart, and her face crumpled. "I'm gonna miss you, so much…"

"I know…" Don said. "Me too."

She sniffed, and looked down at the bedspread. "I was trying to think of a way, I could work from here. I COULD, you know. I could get an internet position or something…"

"No." Don's words, quiet, but forceful, made her stop, and look back up at him. He took her hand in his.

"April," He began, looking at her. He seemed to have so much to say, but then, deciding against it, looked down again. "We'd love for you to stay, you know that. Nothing would make me happier." She grinned slightly at that. "But," He continued. "We're… in like some kind of… warp out here. You could keep staying and staying, but… at the end of the day… you'd HAVE to go back, sooner or later, to a job. A life." His heart broke at the words he was saying, but he was convinced that he would NOT be the one to hold her back. No matter how much it hurt.

"I'll visit every chance I get." April said, tears streaming down her face. "I'll write, and call everyday…"

"No, you won't." Don interrupted softly. She looked at him. A sad grin covered his face. "And it's okay." He continued. "You'll be busy." He looked down for a minute.

April bit her lip, tears running down, falling to the bed.

"If I were a selfish person." Don said quietly. "I'd ask you to stay."

April started at the words. They'd been what she was waiting for, and dreading, since she knew she had to leave. Why did he have to wait until _right then _to say them??

"I have to go." She choked out, her own words surprising her, even as they left her mouth.

He looked at her, and nodded. He hadn't really been expecting her to change her mind and stay, but a piece of his heart still shattered at her words.

Another uncomfortable silence filled the room, until Don spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "April."

"Yes?" She looked at him. He was staring intently at her face, searching her eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Holding in a deep sigh, he looked back down. "You should get back to the others." He finished, closing his eyes slowly.

April drew in a sharp breath, her eyes filling with new tears. She nodded, knowing that if she opened her mouth, nothing but a sob would come out.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she left the room and went down the hall.

Don let out the breath he was holding, and opened his eyes, staring at his feet. He weakly punched his hand down on the bed as a shuddering breath left him, and his eyes filled with tears.

* * *

April rinsed a paper towel underneath the water in the sink. She used it to pat dry her face. She looked up at her reflection. Not too red… not too revealing of how upset she was. Her eyes filled anew at the thought. No. She would be strong. She would. She had to be. Straightening her shoulders, she walked back to the others.

She stopped in the doorway of the living room, watching them. Crossing her arms, she let a bit of a smile cross her face as she watched Mikey try and get Leo to play charades. Obviously his movie was over. She sighed, looking up. Suddenly she noticed the mistletoe that hung above her head. She shook her head, remembering how adamant Mikey had been about putting it there. God, how she'd miss them.

"April!" She heard Mike call suddenly. "Hey, girl, you're just in time, the ball's about to drop!"

She cleared her throat softly. _Be strong. _"Okay, Mikey." She stepped away from the doorway.

A moment later, Don appeared in the doorway. The countdown was just beginning. He sighed, dreading the festivities that everyone else was so looking forward to. Something caught his eye, and he looked up. He wrinkled his nose. _Mistletoe_.

Shaking his head, he watched as the crowd on TV became more excited as the count got down to the wire.

"4... 3... 2... 1." He whispered with the announcer.

Leo grinned as the ball dropped, and Mikey jumped up, yelling: "Happy New Year!!"

"Mikey, shh…" Leo admonished quietly. "Lindy…"

"Oops, sorry." Mike said sheepishly.

Even Raph had to smile when Mike grabbed April, kissing her on the cheek. She made a playful face, and then winked.

Don watched, almost transfixed as the people on the TV went wild. The celebration onscreen was an almost painful reminder that, despite the pain and tension in the house, life did, truly, go on.

Pushing away from the wall, Don made his way over to the others, and they celebrated the new year together, as a family.

* * *

"Are you _sure _you have everything?" Leo asked, following a pacing April around, Lindy on his hip.

"Yes, I think so." April fretted, glancing at her watch again. She was due to meet her new landlord, and she was already running late.

Checking over everything once again, she smiled, satisfied that she had everything. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the small group surrounding her.

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" She said, going to Mike and kissing him on the cheek. She made her way to each of them, kissing their cheeks and hugging them. She was pleasantly surprised when Raph grabbed her in a rough, but quick hug.

"I want emails and phone calls…" She continued, then reached Lindy and grabbed her, hugging her tightly. "And pictures! I want lots of pictures!"

Her smile faded, however, as she reached Don. He smiled sadly. She searched his eyes, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shut it again.

"April…" He began, but cut off.

She nodded, in understanding. "I know." She whispered, then hugged him quickly, and began walking briskly to the car.

"Call us when you get there." Leo instructed, and she grinned through the tears now streaming down her face.

"I will." She promised. She started the car and looked back once more. Leo was holding Lindy, and waving, a small smile on his face. Mike was sniffling, but waved goodbye. Raph gave her the thumbs up, and winked. And Don… he stared at the ground, as if in deep concentration. She gave another grin to them, and then, with another wave, she started her car, and drove down the driveway.

They watched as her car drove out of sight, and, one by one, they began making their way back into the house.

Don waited, long after the others had gone inside. He mentally berated himself. _I should've said something… anything… _Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked back to see a very concerned Leo.

"C'mon." Leo said. "Let's go inside, huh? It's freezing."

Don nodded mutely, and followed his brother to the house. He'd thought… hoped maybe that she would come back. Back to him. But he couldn't take that away from her. She was better off this way, he told himself. She shouldn't be hidden away in this old house like they were. She deserved… everything and more.

Still… the thought of her returning made him look back outside once more.

Sighing, and taking one more glance at the road, Don walked into the house, and closed the door.

* * *

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Author's Notes - One more to go, folks. I have to say, I actually cried writing April and Donnie's conversation.

One other thing, I was thinking of putting a sort of FAQ page on my site regarding my stories. If anyone has any questions they'd like to see answered, regarding my fics or writing please email me, and put the subject line as FicFaqs. Thank you.

Thanks -

Reinbeauchaser - Hehe, glad ya enjoyed it! And, yes, Don and April… "The course of true love never did run smooth", eh? ;) Not saying it'll get any smoother, mind you… But I always think of that quote. And, of course, you're one of my favorite people, also.

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Vampy - I think Don DOES realize that it's not okay… but he so wants the best for her…

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Kaliann - Thank you. And I sure will!

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Buslady - Raph vs. the Tree was a last second idea, that I still laugh over! I can just picture it, hehe. And, I think we're gonna make Rene blush soon. ;)

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Mickis - Hehe, thanks. And yep, it CAN be a pain, lol. Writer's Block is horrible. Ugh.

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SaphireCat - Wow! Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much.

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LenniluvsBrian - Hehe, glad ya liked that. And yep, I'm back! And so glad to be back, too. ;)

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VestqueX - Hehe. watches the shaking fist warily Here's your update!!

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Vegeta-Hiei Lover - Thanks!!

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Gummadoon Fanatic - Thank you!!

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Invader Sam - Wow, thanks! I'm so glad you're liking it. And, to answer your question, I really didn't have an idea of what universe it was in when I began it. But I seem to be leaning towards certain universes, regarding certain characters. I think I'm taking from a few of them… But I'm glad it gave you a bit more insight to them! Thanks again!

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Heather - Hehe, here ya go!! Another update for ya!

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Next chapter - The end? Or is it just the beginning?


	40. Chapter 38 Finding What's True

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Chapter 38 - Finding What's True

Don sat at the computer, and moved the mouse around, rousing it from it's hibernation. A familiar ping and an announcement told him that he'd gotten mail. He clicked on the mailbox icon, and browsed through the recent arrivals.

A grin broke out on his face as he saw April's latest message to him. He eagerly clicked on the name to read the email.

Hey, Donnie… Sorry it's been awhile. I've been busy. I actually can't really type much now, because I'm heading out the door. Everything's good here, and we HAVE to figure out a day you guys can come visit. Thanks for the newest pictures… Lindy's getting SO big! Oh, and tell Leo he'd make an excellent photographer.

Again, Don, I'm sorry it took me so long to respond… I'll write back sooner this time, okay? I'll look forward to talking to you.

April

Don sighed. 'Awhile' was right. He'd written her almost a week ago, and this was the first he'd heard back from her.

They had made a 'date' to talk to each other today, though. They kept missing each other online, and finally scheduled a time and day for a much needed talk.

But he couldn't feel _too _bad. April's job was going well, and she really seemed to enjoy it. But it still didn't make up for how much he missed her. She'd gone back to visit almost three weeks after she left, then only once more after that. Time between phone calls and emails were getting further and further in between. Not that he could really blame her… At least, he _tried _not to.

No, he really blamed himself.

Sighing, he turned back to his computer, and typed in a quick response to another email. Laughter floated in through his open window, causing him to look outside.

It was the first really nice day of the season, and the rest of them were taking full advantage of it. At the moment, Raph, Leo and Mikey were attempting to fill the small child's pool that Lindy had received from April for Easter.

Don grinned wryly as a thought passed through his head. _How many turtles does it take…_

_

* * *

_

Leo looked over towards the house as he saw a movement through the corner of his eye. He grinned slightly, as he realized it was Don. His brother had gone back to his old routine of spending massive amounts of time doing work over the past few months.

A sudden splash, and Lindy's peals of laughter brought Leo back to the task at hand. Mike was just standing back up, drenched.

"My-my!" Lindy shrieked, laughing and holding her arms out for him.

Leo raised an eye ridge at Mike, who pointed at Raph.

"I was just testing the water out, and _he _pushed me!" Mike exclaimed, wiping water from his arms.

Raph grinned widely, not even bothering to deny it. "It was too easy, Mikey." He said, then laughed.

"That water's cold…" Mikey muttered, ignoring his brother's friendly ribbing.

"About ready, guys?" Leo interrupted. "I mean, this is entertaining and all, but it _is _getting late…"

"And we want this baby beach bound before supper!" Mike exclaimed, grabbing Lindy from Leo's grasp, and spinning her around.

Leo smiled, watching his brothers with their niece.

Their niece. The words played themselves through his head again. He never thought they'd ever be able to say that.

It brought him a joy… A peacefulness that he'd yet to experience before she came into their lives. He knew his brothers felt the same way.

He just wished Don would let himself enjoy it now, as he did before…

* * *

Don stared out the window a few moments longer. Lindy's joyful laughter were music to his tired ears, and he quickly turned back to the computer. He'd spent too many months feeling sorry for himself. Typing quickly, and sending the message, he swung his chair around, and went to meet his brothers and daughter out in the yard.

April logged onto her computer, and was greeted by the familiar 'You've Got Mail'. She grinned lightly, and was pleasantly surprised to see a return email from Don.

Clicking it open, she read it over. Tears formed in her eyes as she went, and she wiped them away swiftly, before her boss could see.

April,

We're good, thanks. Lindy and the guys are playing with the pool you got her, as it is nice here finally.

I so wanted to talk to you, April, and I know I promised, but… but I've got a little girl outside, who's growing like a weed, and I'm missing it.

I'll write you soon, okay? We DO miss you.

I have to go, April. I'm sorry I missed you.

Talk to you soon,

Don.

* * *

April's eyes went to her screen, and, sure enough, he'd logged off before she'd gotten there. She sat back in her chair, tears streaming down her face now, and she didn't care to wipe them away.

She knew what he was and wasn't saying. And how could she blame him for that?

"April?"

She turned, as a co-worker walked up behind her. "Is something wrong?"

"No." April shook her head. "It's just a letter from an old friend is all…"

Her co-worker nodded, then left again. Taking a deep breath, April turned back to the computer, and saved the email, wondering when she'd speak to him again. And what she'd say when she did.

* * *

Don had just put the last plate down on the table that night, when Leo and Raph walked in, chatting amicably.

They both stopped short, and looked at him.

"Where's Mikey?"

"You didn't _cook_, did you?"

They spoke at the same time, Leo barely hiding the uneasiness in his voice, and Raph paling slightly.

Don let out a chuckle. "No," He said, reaching down to straighten a knife that had been knocked crooked. "Mikey cooked, he just went to change Lindy." He looked up at his brother's faces. "Don't worry! I didn't touch dinner." He grinned.

Suddenly, he heard Lindy cry, and he turned to Leo and Raph. "I think I'm being paged." He grinned, then left the room.

Leo and Raph both shared a knowing glace as he left. Leo sighed, then sat down at the table. The change in Don was great. He was back to… well, not his _old _self, but back to… _him_. They'd all changed, Leo mused. Even he, himself, had undergone a transformation this past year and a half.

Raph sat back in his chair, smirking at the thoughtful look on his brother's face. Leo's gaze met his, and he nodded in understanding. Then, together, they waited for the others in peaceful silence.

* * *

Don looked down as he entered the room. Lindy was being uncooperative in getting re-dressed. Her arms and legs flailed, and Mikey was having no luck getting her to stop.

"Go ahead down." Don said, walking up to Mike. "I'll finish."

"Good luck, dude." Mike grinned sympathetically at his brother before going to the kitchen.

Don waved his hand, signaling he was fine, then turned to the writhing mass of arms and legs before him. At his gaze, Lindy calmed for a moment. Her gaze caught his, and she grinned, her smile wide and her hair wild. As it grew longer, it had a natural wave in it that tended to make it stick out at times.

Don grinned back, and an understanding went through them, though silent, but effective. He dressed her quickly, and carried her downstairs. They stopped at the door to the kitchen momentarily, and he listened to the quiet chatter of his brothers.

Looking down at Lindy again, with the conversation flowing through the kitchen door, Don was struck by a sudden thought. _Funny how it works out… What we get isn't always what we expected… It rarely is. And, many times, we don't even know we want it until we have it... Or it passes us by. But, as it turns out, it's most definitely what we need. _

A gentle tugging on his bandana brought him back to the present. Lindy had placed the tails of his bandana into her mouth. He chuckled softly, then removed it.

"Hungry, angel?" He asked, and she nodded quickly.

And, with a quick peck on her forehead, they went to join their family. Not always perfect. Far from it, sometimes, but, ultimately, exactly what they needed.

Each other.

* * *

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

_

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Author's Notes - Here it is. The end of this chapter in the guy's and Lindy's lives. I did sneak some things in this chapter that are kinda hidden, heh. Some things were said that weren't vocalized, as has been true throughout the story. ;)

And the ending quote is by Winston Churchill.

I want to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this… it was a complete joy. As was conversing with all the lovely people I met along the way. I thank each and every one of you, for your reviews, and support… and most of all, friendship. I couldn't have done this without you.

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Thanks -

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Reinbeauchaser - Much thanks, Rene. Yes, it is a bit of a soap opera here, isn't it?? ;) Ah, when I said make ya blush, I was referring to all the compliments we were throwin' at ya. I thank you so much, for everything, Rene.

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VestqueX - Thank you, heh. ;)

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KaliAnn - Much thanks.

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PrincessofWildfire - Thank you…

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Heather - Heh, uh… I'm sorry? Lol, many thanks, Heather.

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LenniluvsBrian - Heh, feeling bad for April?? ;) Glad ya enjoyed it.

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Invader Sam - Wow, thanks! Many thanks to you for everything; I'm so glad you're enjoying it. The time lapse between this story and the sequel will be… well, you'll see. ;)

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Mickis - I thank you.

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Starofoam - Thank YOU for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it.

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Vegeta-Hiei Lover - I hope that's a good 'interesting', heh. ;) Thanks for the review.

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Reluctant Dragon - Wow, thanks!! I'm so glad.

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Lioness-Goddess - Many thanks, and my apologies that it was so delayed in getting put up here.

Again, my words seem to fall short of showing the true gratitude that I feel for all of you. hugs for you all, and thanks again. It meant so much to me.

The sequel will be posted soon, so don't worry. I'm quite happy with it thus far, and I'm hoping you will be too.

Sequel - Coming Soon. 


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